Offenbach – A core hub for global activities

Danfoss' new German headquarters are much more than just an administrative hub for the Danish family firm, which has over 30,000 employees and numerous customers in over 100 countries. The global market leader in its segment has built a state-of-the-art, attractive office building that has been organized by various employee groups in line with the principles of "New Work": Open spaces, meeting areas, and discussion alcoves are supplemented by dedicated training rooms, laboratories, and a service workshop. The appealing Offenbach building directly echoes the sustainable corporate culture: Wood and plants are dominant features, and the large glass facades overlooking the river and open design welcome employees and visitors alike.

At the same time, the entire building serves as a large-scale live showroom. Showcasing Danfoss’ efficient building technology, it is the ideal proof of concept for a carbon-neutral energy approach. Features include a heat pump and district heating, and there are plans to include the waste heat from a regional data center going forward. What is more, the company uses climate-friendly wind power. All in all, the Danfoss building directly shows customers and the public how the firm’s innovative technologies put sustainable energy use into practice.

"We want to raise Danfoss’ profile as an attractive technology company even more, and this is the second time we have found the ideal location for this in Offenbach. Besides, we wanted to retain our highly qualified workforce and so never really seriously considered moving away from the region," explains Stephan Neuwirth, Managing Director Danfoss Germany and Senior Director Application & Technical Support Europe. The Danish company has had a presence in Germany since 1952 and its German head office in Offenbach since 1969 – originally in an industrial area, but since the summer of 2023 in the Kaiserlei district directly on the banks of the River Main. "Not only is our new office building a state-of-the-art workplace, it also serves as our calling card. Its easy accessibility also quickly made it an impressive venue for events, training courses, and meetings with customers and colleagues from other locations. In other words, it’s a core hub for our global activities," says Stephan Neuwirth.

Offenbach's excellent transportation links play a key role here: Both the airport and Frankfurt city center are just 15 minutes away by car or public transport. In addition, regional and European destinations can be quickly reached given Hessen’s central German location and numerous highways and train links. Germany is also Danfoss' largest European market – and its third-largest worldwide after the USA and China. Roughly 5,000 people work at the national subsidiary’s sites, around 400 of them at its Offenbach head office.

"The Frankfurt Rhine-Main region also offers us other key advantages beyond its perfect location. Many of our most important customers are based very close by. And the many well-known colleges and universities specializing in technology give us a large pool of highly qualified staff to draw on," says Jaime Jose Obiols. The Head of Sales DACH himself has an engineering degree and a practical background. Technical innovation is crucial for Danfoss: Still owned by its Danish founding family, the high-tech company is a broadly positioned global market leader. In the last five years, worldwide revenue almost doubled to EUR 10 billion.

Danfoss’ enormous success is based on three core areas: Climate Solutions with its innovative solutions for cooling and heating technology is part of the company's DNA – Danfoss founder Mads Clausen invented the world's first radiator thermostat back in 1943. Today, the division focuses on efficient solutions for industrial refrigeration, refrigerated counters, and associated control technology. In addition, Danfoss is a major supplier of climate-friendly heat pumps for domestic and large-scale applications and of district heating transfer stations.

The Power Electronics and Drives division specializes in frequency converters. These are used e.g., in power electronics for electric vehicles in the car industry, in hybrid ship drives, and in building technology. Danfoss’ technical innovations generate major energy savings for customers with solutions that meet their needs. Given the Fourth Industrial Revolution and increasing electrification worldwide, the potential in this area is huge. The company’s third core area is Power Solutions – intelligent drive systems that are used especially in construction and harvesting machinery. Energy-efficient solutions for electrification, hydraulics, fluid conveyance, and controls cut operating costs and enable climate-friendly operation.

In Offenbach, Danfoss draws on the innovative strength and know-how offered by young minds by working together with Hessen’s start-up scene. In the technical field, this is frequently powered by the state's universities and international research institutions. "Looking ahead, we still have enough space at our German head office to physically integrate start-ups and expand our role as a think tank," says Jaime Jose Obiols with an eye to the future. Danfoss already builds on a large number of close-knit networks. National bodies such as Germany’s Electro and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI) play an important role here, as do local partners, with the City of Offenbach's business development unit facilitating key contacts.

At state level, Danfoss is a member of the House of Energy in Kassel in Northern Hessen: This think tank, which is supported by industry, academia, and Hessen’s state government, boosts knowledge transfer and takes an end-to-end approach to driving the energy transition.

Even a market leader like Danfoss benefits from such a special ecosystem. "The close links with other key players in our sector are ideal for us. Hessen and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region are an important hub in our global corporate structure. We are happy to invest here and we feel very much at home," says Jaime Jose Obiols.