Mulfingen weighs life after ebm-papst's €5 billion sale to a US investor

DW News visits the fan maker's hometown, where workers worry about distant decisions and the mayor already has plans for the tax revenue.

Channel: DW News Story of October 27, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of DW News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 99,981 views.

German industry for sale | DW News

"At the moment nothing's changed for us," one ebm-papst worker tells DW News outside the plant in Mulfingen. "We know what's coming."

What is coming is a new owner. ebm-papst, a family-built maker of fans and cooling systems with revenues above €2 billion, is being sold to a US investor for €5 billion. The company has its headquarters in Mulfingen, a small municipality in the Hohenlohe district of Baden-Württemberg. Karl Harenbrock's report asks what the sale means for the town and for Germany's family-run industry.

Residents are uneasy about decisions moving far away. "Something like this happens overnight and who knows what things will look like in 5 years," says Michael Hedtke. Simon Habermaaß of the IG Metall union in Schwäbisch Hall contrasts traditional German corporate culture with public companies. Those, he says, "tend to focus more on short-term success and must regularly answer to their shareholders."

The report places the deal in a wider pattern. Other medium-sized manufacturers in the area have gone to foreign buyers in recent years. David Deißner of the Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics says 30% of family business owners can now imagine selling, almost twice as many as five years ago.

Mulfingen's ties to the company run deep. Founder Gerhard Sturm's support helped build the town's sports and school facilities. Mayor Sören Döffinger, though, sees a use for the tax revenue the sale brings: "In every district we have community centers that need renovation."

The report drew about 100,000 views since yesterday, DW's second most watched new upload. In the comments, viewers point to other German firms that went abroad. Among them is the robot maker Kuka, which China's Midea took over in a deal agreed in 2016. Several viewers want to know more about why the owners chose to sell.

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Mulfingen weighs life after ebm-papst's €5 billion sale to a US investor The full story on Trari: https://trari.com/en/story/dwnews-18225/

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The numbers

A short business report from a small German town drew a broad audience in its first hours.

subscribers

6,480,000

▲ 10,000 in the last 7 days

total views

3,542,000,830

views per day

2,704,264

typical day: 2,756,065

the video

views

99,981

likes

428

comments

182

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

60 Minutes Australia

6,750,000

The Wall Street Journal

6,720,000

The Sun

6,550,000

DW News

6,480,000

News24

6,270,000

The Telegraph

6,210,000

As of October 27, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.