Air filter manufacturer quarrels
“Corona not only brings us advantages”
2/7/2022 10:43 am
The Venta Air Washer GmbH has been for 40 years family owned. In the middle of the pandemic, Andreas Wahlich took over the helm as managing director a year and a half ago. The medium-sized company in Swabian Weingarten has a hundred employees worldwide. Devices for air purification and air humidification as well as hybrid devices are manufactured and developed in Germany. In an interview with ntv.de, Wahlich explains why Venta has not only benefited from the corona pandemic and to what extent the rapidly exploding prices in the chip industry are working against the company.
ntv.de: Since the corona pandemic, air purifiers have been in greater demand than ever. How has Venta benefited from this?
Andreas Wahlich: The market for air purification devices in Germany increased more than tenfold in the past year. This is not a normal development, but is due to the current awareness. Before the Corona pandemic, Venta’s core business consisted of selling to the end consumer. Until before the pandemic our products have been used in the home environment: in the children’s room, bedroom, living room. Law firms, hospitals, medical practices and schools now also buy from us. Demand from areas in which we were not even active before the pandemic has achieved remarkable momentum.
Were you prepared for this?
I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this development to this extent. We had planned to expand the products in the area of air purifiers and hybrid devices anyway. Nevertheless, the explosive demand has been a real challenge for us. All in all, I have to say: Of course, Corona doesn’t just bring us advantages.
How so?
We have to adjust and react accordingly to the increased demand. In the past two years we have also experienced bottlenecks. We sometimes had delivery times of up to three months. In the meantime we sometimes wait a hundred weeks. Added to this is the explosive development in the prices of electronic components. It is not uncommon for a chip that may have cost one euro to suddenly cost ten euros. We weren’t able to pass this insane price increase on to the market so quickly. The whole supply and the dynamics behind it led to a real broker mentality in the market: If we don’t buy the components for the advertised price, the manufacturer sells his product to the next customer who is willing to pay that price.
What conclusions do you draw from this?
Our motto is and remains Made in Germany – this will not change with or after the Corona pandemic. Of course, we have to source various individual parts from the world market. Of course, our team is in close contact with suppliers in Asia as well as in Europe.
Does this mean that Venta has not benefited economically from the pandemic at all?
We have increased demand and higher sales. We don’t see an insane surge in profit because the rapidly exploding prices are working against us on the cost side. But I don’t want to complain. Our company is doing well economically and is growing steadily and maybe even a bit above average.
How is business abroad?
The company’s internationalization has taken a big step forward during the pandemic. In Germany, we certainly have a completely different situation in terms of the market than in the USA or China, for example. What we have also noticed abroad: the awareness of clean air is there. Demand has risen significantly overall – also independent of the current situation. We now export significantly more than 50 percent abroad. Before the corona pandemic, our export rate was 30 percent.
How do you explain that?
We have the advantage of being able to guarantee long terms. This means that our products do not go off the market immediately the next season and our customers have a regional and direct contact person for many years. Plus, you don’t have to worry about spare parts. In addition, we rely on a comprehensive smart home range for our new products and expand our devices with regular firmware updates and new functions.
How is the company preparing for the post-pandemic period?
Demand will consolidate. High-quality products will survive on the market in the long term. Because there are good arguments for consumers in favor of products that improve air quality, regardless of Corona: allergens in the air in the home, fine dust pollution in cities or simply the growing awareness of a healthy indoor climate.
Juliane Kipper spoke to Andreas Wahlich