With Uwe Ziehl, Ziehl-Abegg loses a key figure who played a decisive role in shaping the company over several decades. As the grandson of founder Emil Ziehl, he remained deeply committed throughout his life to the company, its employees and the region where it was established.
After completing his engineering studies, Uwe Ziehl founded Ziehl industrie-elektronik GmbH in Schwäbisch Hall in 1967. He went on to play a decisive role in developing Ziehl-Abegg into a globally operating technology company specialising in fans, electric motors and control systems.
One of the most important milestones during his career was bringing the family’s shareholdings together under a single holding structure. This step laid the foundation for Ziehl-Abegg’s continued development as an independent family-owned company and enabled substantial investment in research, development and manufacturing. From 2005 to 2020, Uwe Ziehl served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. In this role, he continued to guide the company’s strategic direction with strong commitment and technical expertise. His approach was shaped by long-term thinking, a clear focus on innovation and quality, and a strong appreciation for the people behind the company’s success.
For many years, Uwe Ziehl drove the expansion of vertical integration and the strengthening of Ziehl-Abegg’s engineering capabilities. This included establishing in-house production of plastic components at the Gewerbepark Hohenlohe, as well as further developing the company’s aluminium foundry in Schöntal-Bieringen. Together, these investments created a manufacturing structure that remains one of the company’s key strengths.
Joachim Ley, Chief Executive Officer of Ziehl-Abegg, said:
“Uwe Ziehl played a decisive role in shaping Ziehl-Abegg. Over decades, he guided the company with clarity, technical expertise and entrepreneurial foresight. Our thoughts are with his family.”
The family has asked that their privacy be respected at this time. Uwe Ziehl was born in Füssen in 1947 as the grandson of company founder Emil Ziehl. He grew up in Künzelsau and developed an early connection to the family business. Throughout his life, he remained closely tied to the region. He is survived by his wife and two children.
He prepared the generational transition within the family early on and, in 2021, handed over leadership responsibilities to the next generation. His son, Dennis Ziehl, has served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board since January 2021.
About Ziehl-Abegg
Ziehl-Abegg (Künzelsau, Germany) is one of the leading global companies in the field of ventilation, control and drive technology. In the 1950s, Ziehl-Abegg established the basis for modern fan drives: external rotor motors which even today are still seen as state-of-the-art worldwide. Another area of business is electric motors which provide the power, for example, for elevators or medical applications (computer tomography equipment).
The high-tech company has an impressive innovative capability (all figures and statements refer to the year 2025). Ziehl-Abegg employs 3,000 personnel in its production plants in southern Germany. The company has a global workforce of 5,800 spread between 17 production plants, 30 companies and 114 sales locations. The products, approx. 30,000 in all, are sold in more than 100 countries. Turnover totals more than one billion euros.
Emil Ziehl founded the company in Berlin in 1910 as a manufacturer of electric motors. After World War II the company’s headquarters were relocated to southern Germany. Ziehl-Abegg SE is not a listed company but instead is family-owned.
For more information go to www.ziehl-abegg.com/en/
