Pioneer of the Side Channel Pump
- 125 year anniversary of the company’s beginning,
- 90 year anniversary of the initial patent grant for the self-priming Side Channel Pump,
- 60 years of being located in Meckesheim as well as the
- 10 year mark of new headquarters office construction and production hall expansion.
The SERO PumpSystems GmbH has a lot to celebrate in 2019.
“Today, the company is the only pump manufacturer in the world that concentrates exclusively on the technology of the Side Channel Pump and we continue our efforts to expand the development of this unique pump hydraulic”, says Beate Zientek-Strietz Managing Director of SERO PumpSystems GmbH. Indeed, 90 Years ago, the company was one of the pioneers in this field and is now perceived as a technological leader in a demanding global market niche. A look at the company history shows that flexibility and innovation capabilities were consistently required in order to develop products, create new markets and master difficult situations.
From domestic water supply to commercial applications
Today’s company has its origin in a machine factory founded by Max Brandenburg in 1894, which transitioned into Berliner Pumpenfabrik AG in 1906. In 1927, the director, Georg Fabig, invented the SERO-Side Channel Pump and successfully applied for a patent in 1929. Due to the self priming and lift characteristics of hydraulic, many of the pumps were used on shallow water wells and the water was pumped to residential water systems. Due to the world economic crisis in the same year, the focus of the manufacturing operation was completely put on this one pump type and Georg Fabig converted the company into a GmbH.
Foreign licensees save know-how during the war years
Fortunately, in the years before the Second World War, the first partnerships and sales licenses were awarded to foreign companies. During the war, Berliner Pumpenfabrik was heavily damaged, but once the war ended, production would resume on a small scale utilizing the construction drawings of the licensee partners. In the following years, the company was rebuilt and SERO Pumpenfabrik GmbH was established in Düsseldorf during 1949. After that, only large pumps were produced in Berlin and the subsidiary in Düsseldorf concentrated on the production of the smaller pump series.
Changes require flexibility and entrepreneurial vision
When Albert Zientek joined the company as commercial manager, he guided SERO GmbH towards the chemical industry and process engineering, with lessened focus on water technology. At the same time, the marine and shipping market continued to be served.
In 1959, the SERO Pumpenfabrik division moved from Düsseldorf to Meckesheim. The constantly growing number of renowned industrial customers, the successful development of new markets and numerous innovations characterize the following years and decades.
By 1994, Albert Zientek had established sales partnerships in Germany and in over 30 other countries, thus building up a large sales network with relatively few direct personnel allowing cost control that helped with product development and organic growth. Never forgetting the basics like having excellent products with impeccable quality, competitive pricing, short delivery times and fast customer service helped Albert Zientek access many new markets and provide Side Channel Pump solutions for challenging pump applications. In 1994 the SERO Pumpenfabrik GmbH was one of the first mechanical engineering companies in Germany to be certified according to DIN ISO 9001.
In 2003, the SERO Pumpenfabrik GmbH was renamed as SERO PumpSystems GmbH.
The next owner generation focuses on solution-oriented systems business
Between 1985 and 1994 the children, Dagmar Zientek, Beate Zientek-Strietz and Holger Zientek, joined the company to support their father and assist in growing the SERO business. In 2003, they took over the operational responsibility for the company and the SERO Pumpenfabrik GmbH became SERO PumpSystems GmbH.
The name change of the company illustrates the new strategic orientation of the second generation. No longer just a pump manufacturer, but a solution provider.
Together with the service company SMW Service und Pumpentechnik GmbH in Neidenstein and the two subsidiaries in Houston and Singapore, SERO PumpSystems would like to continue to grow in the role of the innovative problem solver who offers its customers engineered solutions and added value. The company is clearly focused on the development and production of Side Channel Pumps with a high level of vertical integration.
Prepared for the future
Side Channel Pumps are designed for low flow, high pressure applications that may contain high volumes of entrained gas and with low NSPH values. The hydraulic is inherently self priming and can lift up to 20’ of water, 13’ of a light hydrocarbon such as LPG. With the new SHP series, a Side Channel Pump is now available that can build up a delivery pressure of up to 100 bar – about three times more than usual. The model SHP also incorporates many API 610 features. A FIRST for a Side Channel Pump!
SERO PumpSystems GmbH is well prepared and positioned for the future thanks to its clear product focus, high innovative capabilities, technological leadership in specialized markets and international presence.
“We combine the credo of “Made in Germany” with the claim of the innovative, professional problem solver, who offers their worldwide customers superior and specialized solutions”, says Zientek-Strietz.
Based on an already high degree of automation, the company is pressing ahead internally with the digitization of production and administrative processes as well as in the product world – for example with the smart pump. At the same time, the network of external partners from science, research and industry as well as the membership on the information platform www.starpumpalliance.com offer the best connectivity to identify relevant trends and possibly to help shape them.
The pioneering idea therefore lives on and will continue to consolidate the company’s leading technological role in the Side Channel Pump market.