Dürr Universal Celebrates 60 years in Noise Control, Exhaust and Filtration Solutions

Dürr Universal is celebrating its 60^th anniversary in 2019. The company has operations in the U.S., India, Mexico and United Kingdom, and specializes in industrial sound control systems and air filters. It is part of the Dürr Group, which offers paint and final assembly systems for the automotive industry.

As a part of Dürr’s environmental technology division, Clean Technology Systems (CTS) offers a complete single-source portfolio of silencing products and services, providing industrial environmental solutions.

Dürr Universal was founded in 1959 in response to the need for quieting systems to control noise emerging from Wisconsin’s growing paper manufacturing industry. The products were a result of university research and the company kicked off its operations with only three employees in an engineering facility. Some of the initial applications were seen as pioneering for the time, reducing sound from industrial air movers and large fans.

“Our niche products of today are what we do with industrial turbine/compressor companies, providing exhaust systems to quiet the turbine,” says Cary Bremigan, vice president and chief operating officer at Dürr Universal. “When originally built, these compressors were typically in the countryside, but, as the populations grew, there are now houses surrounding these applications. We have designed and supplied exhaust systems for the turbine engines such that you can’t hear the exhaust noise within a couple hundred feet of the turbine.”

Clean and Quiet System

The company has evolved from primarily a supplier of individual components to a system supplier, designing and installing equipment for all aspects of performance. In the U.S., it has cemented its position in the oil and gas industry for natural gas transmission and offshore platforms. Power generation applications for noise control and air filtration solutions on gas-fired turbines and diesel engines is a key market requiring custom engineering and installation services. The company has extensive technical experience helping manufacturers and end users meet local and global emission standards for carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons.

After merging with the Dürr Group in 2018, Dürr Universal is now eyeing major opportunities to branch out geographically, along with diversifying its product range.

“As a part of Dürr’s CTS division, we really offer a full portfolio of environmental products, providing almost anything industry would need to clean up exhaust or process gas streams,” Bremigan says. “The merger will take us into new markets such as glass, chemical and pharmaceuticals.

Growing Markets

Bremigan says the world is changing, and that 60 years ago there was a heavy emphasis on equipment that burns fossil fuels.

“But, as we look forward, the shift is toward more renewable energy sources and energy storage battery technology — and these technologies need cooling and ventilation, which makes a lot of noise,” Bremigan says. “We see continued growth in our traditional markets as well as considerable interest arising from newer markets.”

Universal, founded in 1959, was acquired by Nelson Industries in 1971 and then by Cummins in 1998. Universal reemerged as an independent company in 2007 before becoming part of the B&W Group in 2017 and then the Dürr organization in October 2018. Today, Dürr Universal Inc. is headquartered in Wisconsin, U.S., and employs approximately 350 employees in four countries with two manufacturing sites in Mexico and the U.S.