On Friday, 16 June 2023, the time had come at Neckarstraße 23 in Marl - around 130 invited guests were eagerly waiting for the official inauguration ceremony of the new site and the launch of the new fan test stand to begin.
"The test stand at our new location is the largest chamber test stand in Europe," says Jens Kegenhoff, Technical Manager of CFT GmbH. "With it, we can test fans up to an impeller diameter of 4.50 m and a drive power of more than three megawatts in compliance with the standards."
The guests are also visibly impressed - the 7 m high and 13 m deep concrete test chamber, which is also embedded 1 m deep in the floor, towers up into the production hall like a cathedral.
In addition to introductory words by the managing partner of CFH, Dr. Reinhold Both, and technical speeches, the programme also included the official blessing of the test stand by Pastor Georg Rücker, stadium pastor of FC Schalke 04.
This was followed by the most exciting part of the programme - the launch of the test stand, the technical measurement results of which were displayed to the guests on a large monitor. But the air movement and acoustics in the hall also spoke for themselves, because depending on the type of fan being tested, large air velocities of up to over 2.5 million m³ of air per hour are generated here.
Finally, the test chamber with its flow rectifier and state-of-the-art measurement technology could be visited.
"From the afternoon onwards, all employees of our German locations and their companions are also invited to the inauguration ceremony," Dr Both announced. "Still at the old location in Gladbeck, I said that I was particularly looking forward to the first celebration in the new building."