A commitment to energy efficiency across the entire HVAC system is important to TROX, and that is why the company has decided to launch a range of freely configurable air handling units
In recent years, TROX customers have often expressed their wish to be able to order from one manufacturer all the necessary components and systems for a centralised air conditioning system, including the air handling unit.

This in part is why Heinz Trox and the TROX Board of Management decided in mid-2010 to produce air handling units, moving from a component manufacturer to a complete system supplier and become a 'one-stop shop'.

The X-CUBE air handling unit is said to define new, higher standards for quality, performance, flexibility, reliability, energy efficiency and hygiene.

For more than 50 years, TROX has been manufacturing components and functional parts that play an integral role in room air conditioning. By commencing manufacturing operations in a dedicated new production facility in Anholt, Germany, TROX is now integrating the central element of an air conditioning system into its product portfolio and tailoring these products to meet the specific requirements of the central European market.

The TROX Group has moved into full-scale production of its X-CUBE central air handling unit, which, it says, makes it the only company in its sector capable of supplying, from a single source, virtually all components required for installing a complete air conditioning system.

The total investment for the X-CUBE project amounted to €20 million which was completed without requiring any credit lines. A new production facility for the TROX central air handling units has been established. Central air handling units are also being manufactured in Spain, Brazil and South Africa.

The market for air handling units is worth around €500m in Germany alone, and more than €1,000m in the whole of Europe, giving TROX a large potential for growth. The move also creates a single source from which to provide customers worldwide with significant added value by supplying energy-efficient systems as integral solutions.

'Energy efficiency is our top priority at TROX, and energy efficient components and systems have been part of our portfolio for quite a number of years. To achieve optimum energy efficiency, however, the entire system needs to be taken into account. AHU units, intelligent instrumentation and control technology are key components of such systems,' said TROX CEO Lutz Reuter.

'Due to TROX having set up a completely new 'greenfield' production facility, we are not bound by restrictions. Based on our X-CUBE equipment concept, we can develop, with our partners, the most efficient, innovative and state-of-the-art manufacturing plant and associated logistics,' he added.

With its special features and options, the X-CUBE requires special production facilities. This is why manufacturing processes such as laser cutting of profiles, plastic profile machining, punching and sheet forming have been automated as much as possible. New powder coating equipment and sealing foam application equipment have been adapted to the requirements of AHU manufacturing.

The new production facility is over 11m high and has a floor area of 15,000 sq m with permanently installed cranes; it therefore offers the necessary flexibility for manufacturing air handling units in all common size ranges. The new machinery has been selected with the high quality requirements of the air handling units in mind.

TROX has defined a process which takes all factors into consideration: its new configurator software, the ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning), the production equipment and also each individual worker. This process enables the company to provide customised, unique units of the quality, and at the price, of a standardised production unit.