Plant that grows Steuler Anlagenbau

plant that grows

Leading European engineering company Steuler Anlagenbau has been building industrial plant from concept to completion for satisfied customers across the world. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to head of equipment Werner Sturm to find out more.

The roots of Steuler reach back to 1908 when it was founded in Germany as a global specialist for acid-resistant and refractory linings. Constant development and enhancement of its engineering capabilities have seen the company achieve its position as a world-respected turnkey solutions provider for industrial plant that harnesses the very latest in technological capabilities.

Since 1965, Steuler Anlagenbau has operated as a division of the Steuler Group with its headquarters in Hoehr-Grenzhausen, which is where it manages its global network of subsidiaries, partner firms and agencies that provide support to customers across the world. Head of Steuler Anlagenbau Werner Sturm spoke to Industry Europe, explaining how the company’s global footprint delivers consistently impressive results: “We are an engineering company at heart, and this is the focus of everything we do. We work in niche markets, particularly surface and environmental technologies, and we are proud that we deliver reliable, sustainable and effective solutions to our customers’ specific demands.”

The strapline ‘We build your plant’ is a wonderfully clear description of what Steuler Anlagenbau delivers to its customers. Werner Sturm explains: “Customers can be assured that we will build their

Steuler regeneration and wastewater treatment technology - less environmental impact and higher process quality of the surface treatment plant.

High plant availability, high surface quality, high operating flexibility – Steuler Anlagenbau has the ideal solution for each demand in surface treatment technology.

entire plant, a turnkey solution from a single provider. We handle every detail to ensure that the whole plant is built to the best possible standard, including detailed engineering, procurement, complete units, surveys and environmental technology. Steuler plant is built to be future-proof; we integrate environmentally smart solutions that reduce waste, reduce costs and improve productivity.”

Active worldwide

Steuler Anlagenbau is a truly global player, with an average 90 per cent of projects being delivered outside of its domestic German market. Werner Sturm: “Our equipment and solutions are widely respected for their impressive engineering and design, particularly in the fields of steel, stainless steel and energy – for example power stations and turbines – as well as the business of waste energy on the environmental side. We are proud to be doing the right thing; the future is not environmental technology by itself but rather the products of environmental engineering integrated into the process. The exciting thing is that we make those integrated processes. We integrate advanced environmental engineering solutions such as waste recycling which reduces operating costs and improves production quality. So it’s not about sustainability as a standalone focus, but how responsible solutions can work together with the plant and with how our customers’ businesses operate, in order to consistently deliver long-term environmentally sound solutions on a daily basis.”

One example of how Steuler Anlagenbau applies this approach is with its surface treatment line offer. Here, the treated surface

Steuler Anlagenbau draws on its extensive experience to offer the best flue gas purification plant for the respective application.

automatically ensures that up to zero liquid discharge occurs for the production of steel or during surface treatment processes, thereby creating minimal landfill or pollutants. Werner Sturm: “Through smart equipment and process delivery, we make intelligent surface treatments at the production stage and in the long-term performance of the surface itself. We try to transfer pollutants as a raw material or convert them into natural components of the air so that the impact is as reduced as possible. Basically, our focus is on making sure we don’t create any new problems for the environment – we want to deliver performance-focused plant that has a negligible impact on the earth, both in its build and the use to which it is put.”

Complete solutions

In order to consistently deliver these impressive engineering solutions, Steuler Anlagenbau relies on its team of skilled engineers and technicians, the majority of whom are based in the company’s German countryside location. Werner Sturm: “Our workforce is highly skilled, and we are keen to keep our expertise as we know that is truly to our advantage. We like to employ engineers and technicians who have some connection to our rural location, because we are not in a big city; people may have family here or have studied nearby. Our average length of employment is 25 years! We always hope to recruit and train people and have them be happy to work here until they retire. We have a wonderful working environment, and we are passionate about supporting and encouraging our employees in their personal and professional development. We invest in their development, and it is a benefit to us too.”

With Steuler Anlagenbau clearly succeeding long-term in what is a very fast-moving niche of the engineering plant sector, Werner Sturm is proud to highlight that the company is predicting continued positive results: “Of course the market is hard to read, as there are always different issues and challenges. But what we do know is that reducing operating costs, improvements in environmental performance and in quality are always in demand. We keep these values at our core. Customers are always interested in these results and we are always able to deliver. Steuler is in the driving seat; other companies follow where we lead. We are proud that this is our role; our responsibility. Yes, it comes with higher risks but also with greater benefits.” n