I had a tour of the Thielert factory in Lichtenstein, Saxony, earlier this year, and was very impressed by the whole organisation. My guide made no attempt to hide the problems they had had on the 1.7 engine and he showed me the old and new clutch/torque limiter (for want of a better description) assemblies.
I was also shown an impressive test rig and modification for the little end lubrication nozzle problem (the soldered-on pipe assembly which could seperate has been replaced by a one piece casting, and the test rig ensured that the oil jet on the new nozzle was on target).
The factory has a lot of work from motor racing teams (their original business) in addition to the aero engines, as well as sub-contract work from a variety of customers.
At the time of my visit, the company was being run by the administrator in a sort of Chapter 11 way, with the emphasis very much on keeping the business going. Unlike the UK, the German government is interested in keeping businesses other than banks going. A large amount of EU/local authority/government investment went into setting up the factory in an area of high unemployment, and the impression I got was that they didn't want to see it go down the plughole.
Unfortunately the rules for companies in administration do invalidate warranties, so there was no doubt that there were a great many customers who had lost out when their early type gearboxes and or torque limiters had failed and were left to foot the bill for a replacement themselves.
Thielert has had its fair share of problems, but the impression my visit gave was it is also well equipped with the technology, personnel and hard earned experience to produce a good product now and in the future.
Last edited by Mechta; 7th Nov 2010 at 08:23.