"We are and always have been one big Flender family. No matter where in the world, whether employees, customers, suppliers, partners or owners - today we all feel like Flenderers. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team and to be driving the energy transition forward together with you. Because without drive technology and Flender, nothing moves in this world," said Flender CEO Andreas Evertz at the big anniversary party at the main site in Bocholt on Friday evening. The company had invited all employees from the Bocholt, Mussum and Voerde sites. Representatives of customers and suppliers, associations, politicians and partners from the region also attended. Around 2,500 guests attended and enjoyed a spectacular evening.

NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst was also among the guests. In his speech, he congratulated the employees on the company's successful and eventful history. He emphasized Flender's importance for the entire region as one of the largest employers. Wüst, who grew up just a few kilometers away from Flender's headquarters, associates Flender with memories dating back to his youth: "125 years of innovative strength "made in North Rhine-Westphalia": Flender stands for top-class German engineering. As a global leader and the only company still producing wind turbine gearboxes in Germany, the company provides significant impetus for the energy transition. In this way, Flender is not only making an important contribution to the transformation of the economy, but also to strengthening Bocholt as an industrial location and the jobs in the region. Flender can be truly proud of this special anniversary!"

Anniversary party and family day to thank all employees

Various music and show acts then created a great atmosphere on the large open-air stage. The highlight was the big anniversary show, which combined multimedia content with acrobatics and dance in a spectacular way. In an emotional story, the four elements of water, air, earth and fire symbolized Flender's importance in all areas of life. A drone show over the Bocholt night sky stood for the fifth element: Flender and its employees, who have the future of the company and the energy transition in their own hands.

"This evening was really something very special. None of us had expected such a program. The elements show gave me goosebumps and almost brought tears to my eyes. This is a real appreciation of our work," said a longstanding employee at the end of the evening.

"It was important to us to celebrate with everyone here today. There were to be no separate ceremonies for our customers, suppliers and partners. That's what sets Flender apart: there is no separation here, everything only works together," says Evertz. The anniversary party in Bocholt was the prelude to celebrations at all Flender locations worldwide over the course of the year. The management of the 33 national agencies came to Bocholt and paraded on the big stage with their national flags. Similar to the Olympic flame, they took the spirit of the celebration back to their Flender locations.

The identification and pride of the Flender family could also be clearly felt on the following family day. Many employees took the opportunity to show their families and friends around the production halls at the Bocholt site. The crowds were huge and many more guests than expected strolled through the halls and across the festival grounds on Alfred-Flender-Straße throughout the day. One of the highlights was the hardening process in the company's own hardening shop. The visitors stood tightly packed behind the barriers. The children in particular were fascinated to watch the red-hot, 900-degree gears burst into meter-high flames as they cooled down in the oil bath.

Pioneer in drive technology and industrial transformation

Throughout its history, Flender has developed into a pioneer for industrial and wind drives. In 1991, the Flender gear unit (FZG for short) was the world's first series gear unit series on a platform basis. It is still the industry standard today and the basis for thousands of subsidiary programs and application gear units. The successor "Flender One" has been gradually introduced to the market since 2022 and sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency and optimal use of resources with its fully automated configuration and engineering process together with the digital gearbox intelligence AIQ.

In the 1980s, Flender gear units got the first modern wind turbines up and running. Today, the company is the market leader with its "Winergy" wind brand and has equipped every third wind turbine in the world with a drive component. With a continuous increase in power density, Winergy products ensure that wind drives are becoming ever more powerful and compact at the same time. The key to generating wind power as cost-effectively as possible.

Flender is at the heart of the energy transition like no other mechanical engineering company. Flender was one of the first industrial companies to recognize how much leverage we can use with energy-efficient industrial production. This is what drives us: industrial production and energy generation that can do both: secure our prosperity and at the same time use the world's resources sustainably. This also includes returning raw materials to the cycle so that they can be used again. Up to 99 percent of a gearbox can be recycled and the global Flender service network ensures that the service life of the drives is maximized.

This is one of the reasons why the renowned sustainability rating EcoVadis ranks the company among the top one percent of the world's most sustainable companies. Products for the energy transition, the company has already reduced its own CO2 emissions by 86 percent and has numerous programs and initiatives for social responsibility, diversity, equal opportunities, inclusion and belonging. The traditional machine manufacturer has become a modern company and a pioneer of industrial transformation and sustainability.