2G acquires a 40% share in service partner KWK-tec

Over the years, the 2G Energy AG has successfully incorporated external sales and service partners to ensure an elevated degree of customer proximity on the national as well as the international level. Now, the 2G Energy AG acquired a 40% participation in the KWK-tec GmbH, a company from Mendig in Rhineland-Palatinate. In a joint interview for the 2G Blog, Daniel Friedrich (Founder and Director of KWK-tec) and Frank Grewe (CTO of 2G Energy AG) explained the reasons for this close cooperation as well as its objectives.

Frank, putting aside the cooperation with or the participation in KWK-tec, what significance do sales and service partners have for 2G?

Frank: Besides our technology and its distinguishing features, our network is the main pillar that supports our company. Due to the ever-growing number of systems all around the globe we require capable partners - in the sales as well as in the service department - with whom we can develop and continue the story of successful growth. So, as early as the product development stage we must take on the perspective of our partners to facilitate their subsequent role in the operation of the system.

What characterizes an ideal partner for 2G?

Frank: Putting aside the professional and technical expertise required in any case as well as the elevated quality and service demands, the chemistry must be right primarily. You must trust each other and be able to rely on each other especially in ad hoc situations. KWK-tec is certainly a prime example for this. Throughout the past years we established a very trustful relationship which now benefits all sides - the partner, us as the manufacturer and, above all, the customers who want their systems to operate reliably.

Daniel, back in the day, how did the cooperation between you and 2G come about?

Daniel: As early as 2015, we already came into contact with the sales staff at 2G due to several new projects. Due to our regional service capacity, we signed a service cooperation contract that same year and a year later our first independent projects followed, so we really gathered momentum from that point on.

So, the vibe was good from the start?

Daniel: Absolutely! As Frank already said, the chemistry must be good on both sides. From the very start we felt right at home and appreciated - by all 2G colleagues, no matter if service or sales department.

In order to act as a successful service partner of 2G with its vast wide range of products, what you need above all is a fair share of experience. Daniel, tell us more of your history, please.

Daniel: I originally started out as a hired service and commissioning technician in the CHP sector in 2005. At the same time, I went to school and became a certified electrical engineering expert in 2009. Having initially been an individual company in the sector of electrical engineering, the focus shifted more and more towards cogeneration. In 2013 we then founded the KWK-tec, nowadays a 25-employee company taking charge of all matters CHP, the service, re-powering, control systems and the construction of systems.

Frank: Looking at Daniel's history and the development of KWK-tec, we just had to pounce and intensify the cooperation. (laughs)

Was that also what persuaded 2G to bring KWK-tec even closer through the acquisition of 40%?

Frank: I think that we complement each other really well. In the context of our cooperation, a core competence of KWK-tec lies in the upgrading of third-party systems in a way that allows 2G components to be used in the further life cycle. Essentially this is related to the conversion or reconfiguration of the system control, whose main job is to keep the system functioning by means of control technology. For the respective system operators this creates planning security. They get high-quality spare parts and service while sustainably reaching enormous degrees of efficiency and operating within the emissions standards and they extend the service life of their system, all at the same time. In future, we will be able to use this competence to offer control system conversions and adjustments to our entire 2G Partner Network, so that they all can integrate third-party systems into their client pool without having to sacrifice the quality of service or spare parts. That is an amazing added value for all members of the 2G family.

How did your clients react to the increasingly close cooperation between you and 2G?

Daniel: Positive across the board, fortunately. Over the recent years, 2G has become established as a big brand on the CHP market. People appreciate the supreme product quality, and the spare part supply is always impeccable as well, which also makes the lives of us partners easier. What's more, the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the ongoing crisis in Ukraine have put the global supply chains in jeopardy meaning that we as a partner as well as our clients are happy to have something of a force behind us in the form of 2G.

Frank: You also have to mention that companies like KWK-tec enormously help us to stay in close touch with the market and to keep an eye on the wishes and feedback of the operators. Regardless of all the enthusiasm for strategic matters such as globalization of the company, hydrogen-driven cogeneration or digitalization, the system operators are those who are living the energy transition on a daily basis.

What do you hope for in the future of this cooperation?

Daniel: I think that the excellent cooperation throughout the past years leads down a great path which we want to continue to tread in the future. In the wake of the progressing energy transition and the massive expansion of wind and solar energy, cogeneration technology plays a key role in the flexibilization of the energy market. We are proud to play our part through our services and using the products by 2G.

Frank: As far as the cooperation between KWK-tec and 2G is concerned, there is really nothing to add besides thanking Daniel and his team. Apart from that, at 2G we see the cooperation with KWK-tec as a fitting example for the potential strategic development of partnerships. Therefore, we encourage any partner to join us in pushing the energy transition through our daily actions and to contribute their ideas whenever they can.