Based in Cottbus, Wankel Super Tec GmbH develops lightweight, valveless rotary engines that are compatible with nearly all fuel types and minimise blowby issues. The engines are often commissioned for electricity generation and to extend the range of hybrid vehicles, for example at Deutsche Bahn. The company is also the only manufacturer to have an approval in principle (AIP) for hydrogen-based engines for offshore use. Wankel Super Tec CEO Holger Hanisch is now planning to enter the APG market in Kazakhstan and was able to use Partnering in Business with Germany programme to find a partner for this venture.
Turning a company visit into long-term cooperation: German engineers to use associated petroleum gas (APG) in Kazakhstan
Around the world, APG, a by-product of the extraction of petroleum and natural gas, is burned off by flare stacks, as using it often seems economically unviable or poses technical difficulties. However, German Wankel engines might soon change this for Kazakhstan. A group of Kazakhstani entrepreneurs focused on green technology visited the German company to talk about development projects in the APG sector – talks which proved successful on both sides.
Wankel Super Tec CEO Holger Hanisch. ©GIZ/Isabelle Schmitz
Mr Hanisch, what led you to invite entrepreneurs from the Partnering in Business with Germany programme to visit your company?
We are a development company that designs made-to-order Wankel engines and associated systems and delivers these designs to the customers, who then manufacture these commercially. Our production is largely concentrated on the engines themselves. We need a local partner for the development, testing and use of engines fuelled by APG from natural gas and petroleum extraction, as we cannot carry this work out from our base in Cottbus. We wanted to work with Partnering in Business with Germany to make new business contacts in Kazakhstan.
How would you assess the potential of the Partnering in Business with Germany programme when it comes to facilitating market entry for German companies in relatively untapped markets?
We had had no prior contact with anyone in Kazakhstan. When we learned about the Partnering in Business with Germany programme, we invited a delegation of Kazakhstani entrepreneurs from our sector who were currently in Germany as part of the programme to visit our company. The setup of the programme gives German entrepreneurs the chance to meet potential business partners in new markets with comparatively little effort.
The Kazakhstan-based company Caspian Coast, which took part in the company visit, is likely to become a new business partner for Wankel Super Tec GmbH. Caspian Coast is part of a business group that also offers equipment and services in the natural gas and petroleum sectors. Gulsana Uteuliyeva, Director of Business Development at Caspian Coast, came for the company visit, where talks with the German CEO revealed common interests and opportunities for cooperation. Uteuliyeva thinks her company is well placed to deliver the necessary samples and to function as a local developing partner.
Ms Uteuliyeva, how do you see the potential for cooperation with German companies?
We see a lot of potential in cooperating with German companies, especially for APG use and Wankel engines. Germany is renowned for high-grade, sustainable technology, an area especially relevant for Kazakhstan given the government’s aim to reduce CO2 output and drive further industrialisation.
Wankel engines offer potential for technological exchange and joint research, especially in the energy and transport sectors. The potential for rotary engine sales in Kazakhstan and across Central Asia is also promising. Our company, Caspian Coast, understands the regional market and the logistics that would be key to successfully selling German products. We are open to various forms of cooperation, ranging from shared development activities to implementation and the local manufacture of ready-made solutions.
Gulsana Uteuliyeva, Director of Business Development at Caspian Coast. ©GIZ/Isabelle Schmitz
How important is cooperation with German companies for Kazakhstani companies and what effects could such cooperation have for your country?
Cooperation with German companies can be a strong source of inspiration for technological change in Kazakhstan – especially with a view to reducing methane and carbon dioxide emissions with modern APG solutions. This supports Kazakhstan’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2060. We also see a lot of potential in the field of Wankel engines: these are compact, efficient systems for energy, transport and gas processing. German companies active in this area are known for the quality, longevity and precision of their products – ideal conditions for modernising our infrastructure. Local partners like our company can help introduce German products to our market more quickly, while also strengthening the competitiveness of Kazakhstani industry.
Kazakhstani participants in the programme ©GIZ/Isabelle Schmitz
©GIZ/Isabelle Schmitz