Flender
Flender is a German industrial drive-technology company making gear units and related products for industrial, marine, rail, and wind-power applications.
Last updated September 25, 2026
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Overview
Flender is a German manufacturer of gear units and other drive technology. Its origins date to 15 May 1899, when Alfred Friedrich Flender founded a business in Düsseldorf-Reisholz to produce and sell wooden belt pulleys. Through mergers and product development, the company expanded from pulley manufacturing into couplings, variators, and gear manufacturing. Its gear-building activities began in Bocholt in the late 1920s. The company’s products serve a range of industrial uses, as well as shipping and rail vehicles. Its application areas include environmental technology, cranes and conveying equipment, and the paper and plastics industries. Wind-power drive technology has been associated with the Winergy brand, which remained in use after its business was integrated into Siemens. The supplied account identifies production locations in Germany, the United States, France, China, and India. Flender’s ownership changed several times. It became part of Deutsche Babcock in 1990, was acquired by Siemens in 2005, and was incorporated into Siemens Mechanical Drives in 2010. In October 2017, that division became a separate, wholly owned Siemens subsidiary operating as Flender GmbH. Siemens sold Flender to The Carlyle Group in a transaction announced at the end of 2020 and completed in the first half of 2021. Flender is therefore described here as an active, privately owned company; the available evidence does not identify its current headquarters or senior executives.
History
Flender’s history began on 15 May 1899, when Alfred Friedrich Flender established a business in Düsseldorf-Reisholz to manufacture and sell wooden belt pulleys. In 1910, the business merged with Dieckmann & Tangerding in Bocholt, enabling production of more robust cast-iron pulleys. A further merger followed in 1916 with the Hesselbein & Reygers machine factory and iron foundry in Bocholt. Flender designed its first coupling in 1924 and its first variator in 1927, developments that marked the beginning of its gear-manufacturing activities in Bocholt. After founder Alfred Friedrich Flender died in 1939, his son took over overall management. The company’s production facilities were largely destroyed during the Second World War, but reconstruction proceeded quickly enough for production to resume on a small scale in September 1945. In 1969, the company was reorganized as a corporate entity with a three-person management board. It expanded significantly from 1975 to 1985, establishing new plants in the United States and Brazil, and in 1982 acquired the Himmelwerke works in Tübingen from the Bauknecht insolvency estate. Flender became a joint-stock company in 1986. In 1990, Deutsche Babcock acquired more than 95 percent of its shares. That year Flender also took over the Penig gear works in Saxony. The company went public on 4 December 1991 and incorporated the Thyssen gear works and Harlass Guß in Wittgensdorf. During the late 1990s, Flender sold its ATB-Loher drive-technology business, took over shipbuilding and plain-bearing production areas from Lohmann & Stolterfoht, and planned a new assembly plant in Voerde-Friedrichsfeld. It marked its centenary in 1999. In 2000, Babcock Borsig sold its shareholding in A. Friedr. Flender AG to an investment company associated with Citycorp. A new Flender assembly plant in Voerde-Friedrichsfeld opened in May 2001. In December that year, the Energy and Electrical Drive Technology divisions were combined in the newly established Winergy AG. In 2002, production at Bocholt was reorganized. Siemens acquired Flender Holding GmbH in March 2005 and integrated it into the Siemens group. In 2010, Winergy was also integrated into Siemens, although the Winergy brand name was retained. In October 2017, Siemens Mechanical Drives was separated from Siemens AG and established as Flender GmbH, a wholly owned Siemens subsidiary that also used the description “Flender, A Siemens Company.” At the end of 2020, Siemens sold Flender to The Carlyle Group; the transaction was completed in the first half of 2021. The sale replaced earlier consideration of a possible public listing in 2021. The supplied company history describes Flender’s products as serving industrial applications, shipping, rail vehicles, wind power through Winergy, and sectors such as environmental technology, cranes and conveying equipment, paper, and plastics.
Alfred Friedrich Flender founded the company in Düsseldorf-Reisholz.
Merged with Dieckmann & Tangerding in Bocholt.
Merged with Hesselbein & Reygers in Bocholt.
Designed its first in-house coupling.
Designed its first in-house variator, marking the beginning of gear manufacturing in Bocholt.
Production resumed on a small scale after wartime destruction.
A. Friedr. Flender became a joint-stock company.
Deutsche Babcock acquired more than 95 percent of Flender; Flender also took over the Penig gear works.
A. Friedr. Flender AG went public.
Flender celebrated its centenary.
Products and positioning
An industrial drive-technology manufacturer serving multiple sectors, including general industry, marine, rail, wind power, environmental technology, materials handling, paper, and plastics.
Industrial gear units and drive technology
Products for a range of industrial applications.
Couplings and variators
Product categories with historical roots in the company’s own designs.
Winergy wind-power drive technology
Drive technology for wind turbines offered under the Winergy brand.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Flender opens production and testing centre in Western Australia[3]
Flender announced the opening of a 3,500-square-metre production and testing centre in Bayswater, Perth, Western Australia.
Siemens announces sale of Flender to Carlyle[4]
Reported:
Siemens said it was selling its components subsidiary Flender to U.S. investment group Carlyle for two billion euros. The report describes the sale as announced, not completed.
Flender appoints Andreas Evertz as CEO[5]
Reported:
Flender appointed Andreas Evertz as CEO successor to Stefan Tenbrock.
Sources5 sources
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