Ganz celebrates 145 years of transformer manufacturing
Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd. has celebrated its 145th anniversary. The Transformers Magazine was part of the celebration.
The celebration of Ganz's 145th anniversary (Image credit: Ganz)
Hungary, Budapest: Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd. has celebrated its 145th anniversary. The Transformers Magazine was part of the celebration. This event, hosted at the birthplace of transformers, provided a comprehensive overview of the industry’s historical development.
Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd., which carries on the legacy of the company founded in 1844 by Ábrahám Ganz as technological successor company celebrates the 145th anniversary of the founding of the Ganz Electrotechnical Division this year. As a result of its hard work and conceptual building in the three years since the completion of the reorganisation process, the company, which has a 145-year technological history, has re-established itself as a leading player in the domestic and international markets for manufacturing transformers, high performance electric motors and generators, and servicing high voltage equipment. The company is also one of the market leaders in the energy sector’s digitalization efforts, green transformation, and sustainable operations through its Ganz Intelligent Solutions condition monitoring system, launched in 2022.
The Electrotechnical Department of Ganz was founded in 1878 in the Budapest foundry opened by Abraham Ganz in 1885 and rapidly became one of the cradles and driving forces of Central European electricity in the 19th century by manufacturing high quality and unique products, led by András Mechwart and Károly Zipernowszky, and later by Ottó Bláthy.
Ganz pioneered the production of arc and incandescent lamps, as well as DC dynamos and self-excited AC generators, contributing to the spread of electricity throughout Europe, from the World Fairs in Paris and Vienna to the opera houses of Budapest and Vienna and the street lighting of Rome. In 1884, Ganz engineers patented and in 1885 produced the closed iron-core transformer for the distribution and transmission of electricity, which has since become the basis of the electricity system. In the following decades, the company’s research and development activities led to the production of electrical systems such as the three-phase induction motor, the hydro and turbo generator and the phase-changing asynchronous drive motor electric locomotive.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Ganz had not only produced its 10,000th transformer, with a capacity of several hundred kVA, but also contributed to the construction and operation of factories and power plants throughout Europe, including Hungary, Italy, Croatia, and Austria. The company’s products and developments have also contributed to the expansion of national railways all over Hungary as well as to the development of public transport in Budapest.
And in the early years of the 21st century, Ganz was the company that produced the world’s first ester-filled 123kV transformer. Under the ownership of CG Electric Systems Hungary Ltd., the company has successfully completed large projects such as the 14 transformers with a rated voltage of 765kV and a rated power of 500MVA, manufactured for an India order, or the largest transformer ever manufactured by Ganz for a Norwegian order, with a rated power of 1000 MVA.
Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd. is therefore the successor, in terms of technology, expertise, training and experience, to the Ganz company founded in 1844. After 15 years, in 2020, the company operating as the technological successor of Ganz was again 100% Hungarian-owned, after liquidation proceedings were initiated against the Indian-owned CG Electric Systems Hungary Ltd. In the years since the reorganisation, the company has stabilised its operations and production process, and is now once again a recognised player in the energy sector with more than 350 employees, while its turnover reached €35.4 million (or roughly HUF 13.2 billion) in the first half of 2023.
In recent years, all three Ganz divisions – transformer, rotating machine, and service – have performed well in the domestic and international markets, as well as in the energy sector’s digitalization efforts, as the company now contributes to the strengthening of the green energy revolution not only in Hungary but also abroad, and regularly carries out long-term service activities for its Hungarian and international partners. Thanks to its strong export activity, the heavy machinery company’s products – transformers, motors, and generators – are now used in most countries in Europe, from Ireland to Romania, and in the Middle East.
Ganz has also focused on its research and development activities, successfully combining historical traditions with innovation through digitalization. As a result, in autumn 2022, it launched Ganz Intelligent Solutions, an intelligent system for monitoring the condition of transformers, which this year became the first to be extended to electrical rotating machinery, alongside the largest players in the market, and is now not only a manufacturer but also a provider of services to the transformer and rotating machinery market.
“The fact that the Ganz’s name has become known over the decades as a manufacturer of high-quality heavy electrical machinery, such as power transformers and rotating machines, is no coincidence. Over the past century and a half, from the patenting and production of the first transformer in 1885, the founding of the Ganz Electrotechnical Department in 1878, the first AC generators in 1882, the production of the V43 electric locomotive in 1964, and the launch of the new era of intelligent transformers in 2021, Ganz has been a key player in the energy industry for 145 years. And our colleagues are still working every day to carry on this legacy, and to further strengthen Ganz’s reputation both at home and abroad” – said Jan Prins, Managing Director of Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd.
Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd. was founded in 2020 and after liquidation proceedings were initiated in July 2020 against CG Electric Systems Hungary Ltd., the company bought the Ganz factory in Tápiószele and its assets in a public auction and concluded employment contracts with nearly 300 former employees of the company. As a result of the reorganization, the company is now 100% Hungarian-owned again after more than 15 years. It manufactures custom-made high-voltage electrical equipment, including transformers, motors and generators, and provides related service activities for its customers at its plant in Tápiószele. The company employs more than 350 people, making it one of the largest employers in the region.
As mentioned earlier, Transformers Magazine was part of the celebration, and the event, hosted at the birthplace of transformers, provided a comprehensive overview of the industry’s historical development
Source: Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd.