Premiere under palm trees.

For the past 20 years, robatherm has been producing in Thailand, and since 2021, the new TI-50 casing.

Thanks to optimized features, this new TI-50 casing is a milestone in Germany. It was now time to launch it in Asia as well – subject to extensive planning and logistical challenges at the Amata City production site.

Two Locations – One Standard

The official production launch from April 2021 became a seamless process in Thailand. There’s good reason for its gradual introduction. Given that the vast majority of robatherm AHUs are manufactured in Germany, all project participants focused on the production sites in Burgau and at headquarters in Jettingen-Scheppach. To faster supply the asian market with AHUs, robatherm has been operating a further production site in Amata City in Thailand since 2002. Many of the raw materials used there come from Germany. For perfect functionality, the components made at both sites must, of course, be seamlessly compatible. This is where identical company-wide standards come into play. Our consistent demand for quality ultimately ensures that neither „Made in Thailand“ and „Made in Germany“ make a difference at robatherm.

Well-Organized Right from the Start

These uniform standards actually constitute exemplary conditions for the Asian premiere of TI-50. However, beforehand, extensive and long-term preparations were necessary. Regular coordination, including regular meetings with Michael Veh (the Production Manager in Amata City), took place since mid-2020. In addition to comprehensive training sessions for our sales team in Bangkok, all staff members involved learned how to use a new product structuring software. Because every product change also affects the process flows, various adjustments had to be made. While such adaptations are enormously time-consuming – the advantage of uniform robatherm standards can also be seen here. Thus, the production processes that have been tried, tested, and established in Germany could be transferred to Thailand on a one-to-one basis.

Flexibility Between Pandemic and Time Zones

Material planning and logistics played a key role during international coordination. For example, the extended delivery times due to the pandemic had to be considered for container shipments. This exceptional situation turned some of the classic tasks into real challenges. Since the entry into Thailand was only possible under quarantine conditions, the technical staff was virtually trained on-site. Some machines were put into operation remotely. Consequently, with a five-hour time change between locations, it was unavoidable that meetings would sometimes take place at unusual times. In addition to all these complex preparations, the robatherm team primarily dealt with questions regarding product performance. In this context, the local climate conditions came into focus for the TI-50.

Where Condensation is a Core Factor

Due to the high humidity in Southeast Asia, the condensation on the casing plays a crucial role. Therefore, a dedicated testing bench was developed to measure and monitor the TI-50‘s condensation tendency under tropical conditions to shed light on this vital factor. The benchmark for this is the graduated thermal bridge classes from a low (TB1) to high (TB5) condensation tendency. These tests have been initially done since the end of 2019. The results‘ evaluation lets the casing-newcomer shine even brighter. Moreover, after robatherm achieved the best possible thermal bridge class TB1 for its predecessor models, the TI-50 features yet another improvement: Condensation under tropical climate conditions occurs even later on the new casing model, which is a quality feature attributable to its sophisticated design.

Elaborate tests and cheerful faces

Despite challenging conditions surrounding material supply and handling, the changeover was a complete success. The first complete units of the TI-50 series featuring refrigeration technology „Made in Thailand“ were immediately put into operation and tested. The spectacular highlight was the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for the data center of a world-famous US company. In addition to the on-site inspectors, more than 30 guests from the USA, India, or Singapore were in attendance – most of them digitally. Via Livestream, they were able to closely witness the testing and measurements on their smartphones or tablets. After months of preparation and unprecedented effort, the quality and performance data of two AHUs were tested. What was striking about the test phase was the complicated set-up: While one of the units simulated the seasonally varying outdoor air conditions, the performance of the other unit was tested. This was the only way to measure and monitor performance under changing temperatures realistically. Production Manager Michael Veh and Winyoo Saisanit, Deputy Managing Director in Amata City, are delighted with the results. The high level of flexibility and organizational skills at robatherm have once again shown a pleasing effect.