Continuous expansion KHD Humbolt Wedag

CONTINUOUS EXPANSION

KHD Humbolt Wedag GmbH is the key global player for cement plant technology, equipment and services. Industry Europe looks at the foundations of the company’s success and its current activities.

AS a technology leader with over 150 years of industry experience, KHD is renowned for its process engineering and project management competencies as well as its energy-efficient products for the cement grinding and pyroprocessing sections of cement plants.

Today, the holding company, KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG, has over 750 employees worldwide, and area offices for Asia/Pacific, North and South America, India, China and CIS/Russia. Ralf Slomski, responsible for KHD’s operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa, is based at the Cologne headquarters.

Global development based on innovations

The company was founded in 1856 as a manufacturer of mining machinery. A key date was the first delivered cement kiln in 1906, but KHD’s best known breakthrough was the invention of the first preheater kiln in 1953, a revolution in terms of energy effi-

ciency which is still industry standard. The same year saw the start of the international expansion with market entry in Australia, followed by in India in 1964, USA in 1974 and South Africa in 1977. Major developments followed in 1993 after the German reunification, when KHD merged with Dessau-based ZAB, a major player in the Russian market.

The company has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since April 2010.

Quality manufacturing worldwide

KHD offers core equipment for more than half of an entire cement plant, from preheaters, calciners, coolers and kilns to grinding systems and roller presses. The company stopped centralised production in Germany back in 2009, explains Mr Slomski: “We improved our competitiveness by outsourcing all manufacturing. We invested heavily in our quality management staff and now certify our own selected manufacturers, which are as close as possible to the projects. We still provide manufacturing, engineering and supervision services, and together with independent surveyors we ensure that our German quality standards are met or exceeded at every production site.”

KHD also offers process design, equipment manufacturing, spare parts and the full range of plant services. Although new constructions account for the majority of sales, there are also upgrades and service contracts for existing facilities.

New contract in Turkey

The company has been expanding its operation in Turkey, to which end it established a Turkish office two years ago. This covers all processes from tendering and sales to execution and after-sales, supported with tools, strategies and manpower from its global headquarters in Cologne. In March 2013, KHD Humboldt Wedag signed a contract with the Limak Bati Group, in Turkey, to supply engineering and equipment for a kiln line capacity increase from 1820 tpd to 2500 tpd of clinker at its Trakya cement plant.

Limak’s Trakya cement plant is located in Pinarhisar, in the Thracian region of Turkey. The plant began operation in 1970, with a capacity of 840 tpd of clinker. The first upgrade was completed in the 1990s, resulting in an increased production capacity of 1820 tpd of clinker. KHD’s services for this expansion project will include engineering, design, and the supply and supervision for erection and commissioning. Start-up of the plant expansion by KHD is scheduled for the beginning of 2014.

Closer to customers

KHD holds numerous patents and is known as a front-runner for creativity and innovation. The R&D department in Cologne focuses on energy efficiency, alternative fuels and materials. “We never take our eye off the ball, both in detailed improvements and in big jumps. The fact that we have developed a new roller press technology which saves up to 50 per cent of energy in the grinding process shows that there is still room for improvements,” says a company spokesperson.

“Being the technology leader is good, but there’s more to the winning ‘overall package’. We see the new strategic concept of establishing local customer service centres as a key to our future success.” KHD has over 500 plants and 5000 units of machinery installed worldwide, and it is dedicated to improving customer services by shortening response times and distances.

New business

In addition to service improvements, the mining industry offers growth potential, says the company spokesperson: “Eighty per cent of our contracts are in the stable cement industry, with global growth rates of 3 per cent and slightly higher in emerging markets. We therefore see more significant growth potential in mining, where we’re gaining market share with our HPGR roller press technology. This technology is key to the mining industry; it’s a revolution in efficiency and easy to maintain and repair.”

The company is also looking forward to completing successful projects with AVIC in the years ahead. “The market tendency shows a clear demand for EPC turnkey projects, handled by one competent partner. We are in a perfect starting position for this, based on the strength of our partnership that combines our technology with competitive civil construction.” n