• Development and production of high-tech resistors for the efficient and sustainable generation, transmission, storage and use of energy
   
• Investment of EUR 15 million is a clear commitment by Miba to shape the energy transition together with its customers
   
• Production and office space more than doubled from 4,000 to 9,100 square meters
   
• Miba has already invested more than EUR 75 million in Styria since it took over two production sites in Kirchbach and Ligist in 2010. It has also created around 170 new jobs at its Styrian plants during this period

Kirchbach-Zerlach/Laakirchen, June 27, 2025. Today, Miba opened its new production plant in Kirchbach in southeastern Styria. Around 200 employees develop and produce high-tech resistors at the plant, which are particularly important for the efficient and sustainable generation, transmission, storage and use of energy. “Together with our customers, we want to play a key role in shaping the energy transition with Miba products,” says Miba CEO F. Peter Mitterbauer. “With the investment of EUR 15 million in the new plant in Kirchbach, we are making a clear commitment to this goal."

Miba resistors can for example be found in wind turbines, where they ensure a uniform frequency response when feeding electricity into the grid. This ensures grid stability and thus protects devices that consume the electricity. 
In the particularly efficient and low-loss transmission of electricity over long distances using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, Miba resistors prevent overvoltages and overcurrents. In this way, they protect the often expensive electronic components used in HVDC technology.

In electric vehicles, Miba's pre-charging and discharging resistors ensure that high current and voltage pulses are avoided when charging the batteries and that the electrical voltage is dissipated evenly and safely when the engine is switched off. With the Miba POWERcloser®, the company also offers an important safety component for vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells. In the event of an accident, the Miba POWERcloser® short-circuits the fuel cell circuit within fractions of a second. This is particularly important because fuel cells continue to generate electricity for up to two minutes after an accident, meaning that the vehicles could catch fire.

Production on two floors reduces land consumption

Following the EUR 15 million investment, a large, four-storey building was added to the existing site in Kirchbach. The area for production and offices has been more than doubled, from 4,000 to 9,100 square meters. "The production areas are not only located on the ground floor, but also on the first floor. Thanks to this special building concept, it was possible to minimize soil sealing," explains Managing Director Alois Klein. The bright, spacious production halls are equipped with a ventilation and air-conditioning system. On the top floor of the building, 300 square meters of office space have been created, and employees now also have access to a large canteen and a roof terrace. 

When constructing the new production plant, Miba placed particular emphasis on minimizing its CO₂ footprint. "By recovering heat from the ovens in production, heating the new and existing buildings using the local heating plant in Kirchbach, and by installing a PV system on the roof, we can avoid 280 tons of CO₂ per year. We were also able to integrate our previous external production in St. Stefan im Rosental into the site. This not only saves time and organizational effort, it also reduces transport and thus helps the environment," explains plant manager Franz Konrad.

Miba employs 300 people in Styria

Miba operates two production sites in Styria, where it employs around 300 people. In addition to the plant in Kirchbach with around 200 employees, the technology group also has a production site for cooling technologies for power electronics in Ligist (Voitsberg district) with around 100 employees. 

Since taking over the two plants in 2010, Miba has invested more than EUR 75 million in Styria. In addition, around 170 new jobs have been created at Miba's Styrian production sites since 2010. "We want to continue on this growth path in the future. The new plant in Kirchbach is therefore also a clear commitment to Styria as a production location for Miba," says CEO F. Peter Mitterbauer. 

Important impulse for the region

Anton Prödl, Mayor of Kirchbach-Zerlach, is convinced that Miba's plant expansion will also provide important impulses for the region: "Technology companies like Miba create attractive jobs. This is particularly important for rural regions such as south-eastern Styria, as it prevents people from commuting to Graz, for example, and thus promotes the quality of life and active community spirit. In addition, successful companies create an important basis for investments in the communities with their municipal taxes."

Numerous guests of honor from politics and business attended the opening ceremony

Miba welcomed numerous guests of honor at today's opening ceremony, including the two members of the Styrian government Claudia Holzer and Willibald Ehrenhöfer, the President of the Federation of Austrian Industries Georg Knill, the President of the Federation of Austrian Industries Styria Kurt Maier and Managing Director Christoph Robinson, the members of parliament Agnes Totter and Franz Fartek, the Mayor of Kirchbach-Zerlach Anton Prödl and WKO district office manager Thomas Heuberger.