SAPOTEC: energy always and everywhere

We sometimes forget how critical electricity is in our lives, taking for granted its omni-presence. And in that respect, power cuts can be anything from annoying to even very disruptive. But in certain fields, like healthcare for example, or major data centres, power interruptions can be absolutely devastating and are simply not an option.

SAPOTEC is a company based in Salzburg that lives and breathes that space of emergency power supply. That’s the power systems that kick in when the main supply fails. They work with all sorts of clients, from industry to data centres, medical and other critical infrastructure like tunnels, offering a fully-fledged solution. “We offer a comprehensive approach, and that’s our unique selling point,” explains Alexander Sautner, CEO. “From study to delivery, commissioning, and after-sales, we cover the complete product lifetime. And we are committed to our customers’ needs: we’ll analyse situations and adapt our product offering accordingly, tailoring our approach as necessary.”

Despite working in Austria, Germany, and with clients all over the world, SAPOTEC, which derives from the first letters of Sautner Power Technology, is really a family business at heart. “It’s not just about family members working in the business. It’s also about treating employees like family,” says Alexander. “It’s something that’s very important to me.” Furthermore, the team has been putting their expertise to good use in making a difference where it’s needed most.

In particular, the company has been working on a project to build 50 medical stations in Ghana. SAPOTEC will be supplying 50 technical containers for this project, which are to ensure the permanent functionality of the medical stations, alongside providing the water technology, the rectifier/inverter systems including lithium storage, the PV panels and air conditioning systems. In 2022, a first prototype was tried and tested in Vienna, but to really get the project off the ground and finance all the groundwork, the company sought an EU-guaranteed loan through Unicredit, backed by the EIF. “The loan allowed us to really get the ball rolling on this project,” Alexander adds.

Looking ahead, the company is always seeking to introduce more green energy into its power solutions, but they are also acutely aware of the challenges. “Storage is key. With renewables especially, batteries and storage technologies still need to be improved. We’re constantly looking for solutions, to find alternative battery systems. But on the positive side, politicians are now finally pushing harder and we are seeing more dedication from their side.” 

Company: Sapotec (Austria)

Type of business: energy

Financial intermediary: UniCredit Bank Austria

Financing purpose: product development

EIF financing: InvestEU

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Austria, please refer to: http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/at/index.htm