Compressed Air Best Practices-August 2008

| 08/08 Focus dustry COMPR SSED AIR Focu Industry COMPRESSED AIR AUDITS MPRE S | Compressed Air Best Practices interviewed President Reiner Mueller and Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Mueller of Kaeser Compressors, Inc. for a look back at their first 25 years in the US as well as their outlook for the future. ™ Good afternoon. Last year you celebrated 25 years in the United States and you have announced your retirement as President at the end of this year. Can you summarize Kaeser’s position in the face of these two important milestones? Reiner Mueller: Reflecting on our first 25 years, it’s clear that Kaeser Compressors has accomplished a great deal thanks to the hard work and loyalty of many people. Our owners, employees, distributors, customers and vendors have all played a vital role. Even more rewarding for us as a company — and for me personally — is the number of employees who have worked with us for many of those years. By focusing on a single purpose — serving the customer with the best products and solutions — we have achieved what many thought impossible. I am grateful to have been a part of that success. Now we stand at the dawning of a new day. We face new challenges in growing markets and a changing economy. It is the ideal time for renewed energy and new leadership from a new generation. Frank Mueller and Reiner Mueller (left to right) of Kaeser Compressors, Inc. What role did the Kaeser family play in Kaeser’s growth here? I first met Mr. Carl Kaeser in the late 1970’s while I was running a 200-employee manufacturing facility for KSB pump and valve in Tehran. By 1982, Khomeini’s revolution was three years old and I had returned to Germany. At the time, KSB had 15,000 employees and was the world’s largest pump manufacturer. Mr. Kaeser was looking for an energetic, loyal manager to establish Kaeser Compressors in the United States. Although Kaeser Germany only had a few hundred employees at that time, they already had an impeccable reputation for financial stability and superior quality. We both felt Kaeser had excellent potential for success in the U.S. I was ready for a new challenge and with the support of my family, accepted the opportunity. The Kaeser family has always supported the US 100%. I can recall a time when Mr. Carl Kaeser would be reading until 2 a.m. every day. There were many times when I called and interrupted his reading to say that we had a special requirement or an urgent deadline and had to have a particular compressor built right away. He always replied that he would go to the factory floor the next morning and personally make sure we got what we needed. 36 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices-August 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices- August 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News The August Audit of the Month: A Vacuum System Audit Energized for Savings at Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power Know Your System CASE: Compressed Air Supply Efficiency Ecos Air: Managing Incentive Programs Kaeser Compressors: Loyalty, Energy and Growth Building Relationships at Cummins-Wagner McIntire is Moving Forward The 2008 A.I.C.D. Conference & Exhibition Tuthill Vacuum and Blower Systems Resources for Energy Engineers: Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

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