Today, Harter GmbH is a medium-sized company with 85 employees and 3 production halls on a company site of 22,000m2, which successfully sells its drying systems worldwide and in a wide range of industries.
The new type of drying was based on the following technical idea: low temperatures, extremely dry air and a closed air system. The vision became reality. Within a very short time, Harter sold a large number of the first dryers developed in German-speaking countries. These were initially used for waste management, i.e. for drying sludge. A few years later, the current managing director and shareholder Reinhold Specht set about further developing this drying process for meticulous use in production processes: the large Airgenex® series was born. This system was designed to be so flexible that it was suitable for all types of processes. It was used after surface finishing - Harter's home sector. To this day, the majority of Harter's orders come from the automotive supply industry, but electronics, aviation, sanitation, optics and the watch industry also play a major role - true to the motto Harter dries everything.
Authorized signatory Ursula Harter and managing partner Reinhold SpechtHowever,the special features of this type of drying have also penetrated other industrial sectors. The benefits of low-temperature drying without exhaust air seemed great to a renowned pharmaceutical company. Harter, always inno
Harter, always open to innovation, was and is open to every new challenge and further development. Thus, after an intensive development period, the company entered the pharmaceutical industry market in 2009 with the AIRGENEX®med system variant, followed by the food industry in 2012 with AIRGENEX®food. Another pilot project in 2015 gave Harter a new mainstay: the drying of medicinal hemp. For many years, the focus was on drying so-called adhesive water, i.e. moisture that accumulates on surfaces. With pharmaceutical products and medicinal hemp, the drying of active ingredients now took center stage.
The next milestone followed shortly afterwards. The heat pump technology integrated into all dryers was classified by the government as an eligible technology in 2017. Since then, customers in German-speaking countries have received subsidies for the use of thisCO2-saving drying technology. Harter's drying technology is unique in many industries and the government subsidies further underline its special nature.
The company has grown over the years and moved into its current premises in Stiefenhofen in 2001, where all departments work closely together.
departments work closely together. Firmly anchored in its Allgäu home, Harter offers seven different apprenticeships and thus ensures a substantial supply of young talent. The young specialists are all taken on after successfully completing their training, so that the great know-how of drying system construction is always passed on.
Harter recently launched a new development project in the field of waste disposal for the dust-free filling of dried sludge. In addition, rack dryers are currently being developed for use in semiconductor technology with extremely short cycle times in the seconds range. Harter also achieved a breakthrough in the drying of bulk materials back in 1996. The current focus is on drying needles for the textile industry.
Another special feature of the dryer manufacturer is its in-house facilities for carrying out drying tests. Countless products have been tested here over the years and corresponding dryer solutions have then been realized on the basis of this data. The company is owned by authorized signatory Ursula Harter and Managing Director Reinhold Specht. Regina Mader has also been Managing Director of Harter GmbH since 2021.
