Displaying items by tag: Germany
Heribert Breuer retires as managing director of Allmineral
01 February 2017Germany: Heribert Breuer has retired as the managing director of Allmineral. Breuer was one of the founders of the company in 1988 and he worked for it since then helping to integrate the company into Hazemag. He will be succeeded by Marco Steinberg.
Steinberg previously worked as the Vice President Global Sales & Marketing for MBE Coal & Minerals Technology, which was previously known as KHD Humboldt Wedag Coal & Minerals. His focus in the new position will be to expand the product portfolio of the subsidiary and build on technological advances.
Allmineral manufactures customised processing plants for the raw materials industry. More than 750 installations designed in Duisburg for dry and wet processing of primary and secondary raw materials are currently operating reliably and efficiently around the world.
Menzel celebrates 90th anniversary in 2017
27 January 2017Germany: Menzel Elektromotoren celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2017. Kurt Menzel originally founded the manufacturer of industrial electric motors on 7 September 1927. Despite turbulent events in its early years including the economic depression in the 1930s, bomb damage during World War Two, its subsequent dismantling by the Soviets and the Berlin Blockade, the company continued operating in Berlin. Kurt Menzel’s grandson, Mathis Menzel, runs the company today.
US: Germany’s Takraf has acquired the Material Handling Systems business of FMC Technologies (FMC MHS) based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. FMC MHS provides material handling solutions to a variety of industries including mining, minerals, power and food. It also manufacturers a line of proprietary equipment for rotary drying and cooling of various materials. FMC MHS will be integrated into Takraf’s US business, located in Denver, Colorado and it will retain its office presence in Lansdale. No value has been released for the transaction.
“This acquisition brings with it a number of advantages that we seek to leverage. We identified a need to add to our equipment portfolio and this opportunity enables us to realise our strategic goals – to strengthen our position in the lighter material handling business and reinforce our growth strategy,” said Frank Hubrich, chief executive officer of Takraf. He added that FMC MHS’ product portfolio will enable the company to provide a range of equipment catering to smaller volumes and integrated in-plant conveyor solutions.”
Schenck Process launches vibration sensing smartphone app
13 January 2017Germany: Schenck Process has launched a smartphone application (or app) that can measure the performance of vibrating machines. A smartphone running the ‘vibe2know’ app can be inserted into a proprietary mount and attached to the equipment being monitored. The app then immediately measures vibratory amplitude, frequency, oscillating angle and operating speed, and enables the user to visualise the vibrating machine’s motion pattern.
The idea for the app came from a Schenck Process employee in the company’s in-house Research & Development department, which was taken up and implemented by the future lab. Schenck employees around the world were then asked to suggest their ideas for the brand name.
“I am thrilled with vibe2know, it is a good example of how our established development team and future lab complement one another within our company. Our speed in achieving this project and getting a product to market is exactly why we set up our future lab. This sets a great precedent for future projects,” said Andreas Evertz, president and chief executive officer of Schenck Process.
Erik Bach appointed vice president of minerals processing at Hazemag
14 December 2016Germany: Erik Bach has been appointed the Vice President of the Minerals Processing division at Hazemag. His focus will be on the technology leadership for established products, the consistent completion of the product portfolio and the expansion of the company’s markets. Bach, aged 43 years, has previously worked for FLSmidth.
HC Trading and Interbulk Trading merge operations
23 November 2016Germany: HC Trading and Interbulk Trading have merged their operations to form HC Trading, following the acquisition of Italcementi by HeidelbergCement. The merger will continue the group’s international trading activities, specialising in cement, clinker, coal and petroleum-coke by expanding the trade network and improving its position in the market. The total turnover of the new trading company will be around US$1.4bn.
“We trust that, by having an enlarged geographic reach as well as an expanded product portfolio, we will be able to further enhance our efficiency to better serve the market and our business partners,” said Emir Adiguzel, the chief executive officer of HC Trading. He added that the group intends to use idle capacity from former Italcementi plants to meet demands from import facilities in Africa, North America and South East Asia.
Germany: Siemens has obtained a cybersecurity certification from TÜV SÜD, a German inspection and certification organisation, for an automation system based on IEC 62443-4-1 and IEC 62443-3-3. As part of the certification TÜV SÜD tested and verified the security functions implemented in the Simatic PCS 7 process control system, a system that controls and monitors continuous manufacturing processes, such as those in cement plants. With this certificate, the company has documented its security approach to automation products showing integrators and operators some of its industrial security measures.
Simatic PCS 7 provides functions for industrial security including segmentation into zones and security cells, the security of access points and user authentication, secure communication, patch management, system hardening, virus scanners and whitelisting. The security measures and functions for Simatic PCS 7 contribute toward safeguarding plant operation and avoiding plant downtime and outage times.
Jens Wegmann stands down as CEO of Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions
16 November 2016Germany: Jens Michael Wegmann is standing down as CEO of Thyssenkrupp’s Industrial Solutions division with immediate effect and leaving the company. Wegmann accepted a golden bracelet for his wife from a Pakistani business partner, according to Reuters.
“I made a mistake which I greatly regret and I am now paying the consequences. I realise that my conduct in my dealings with a sales partner was not in line with Thyssenkrupp’s values and that I can no longer credibly drive the necessary changes at Industrial solutions. For this reason I am standing down as CEO of Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions – irrespective of legal issues and the findings of the on-going internal investigation. I would like to wish all employees the very best for the future and every success in the continuing implementation of the transformation,” said Wegmann in a statement.
Stefan Gesing, chief financial officer of Industrial Solutions, will assume Jens Michael Wegmann’s duties and serve as chair of the business area board on an acting basis. The group will decide on a permanent successor in a structured process.
Germany: The rating agency S&P Global Ratings has assigned a BBB-/A-3 company rating to HeidelbergCement. The classification in the Investment Grade is associated in particular with the strong business profile after the Italcementi acquisition and an improved creditworthyness. It attributed the decision to the strong market position and wide geographic diversification of HeidelbergCement following the acquisition of Italcementi.
“We are very happy about the positive rating decision by S&P,” said Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement. “It is proof of the strong operating business of HeidelbergCement and the continuous improvement of our capital structure and cashflow in the last years. With the classification in the Investment Grade, we have achieved one of our core strategic targets. As a consequence, we are very well positioned to significantly enlarge our investor base and improve our financing conditions.”
S&P also upgraded the issuance ratings of Italcementi from BB/B to BBB-/A-3. The outlook on all ratings is stable.
HeidelbergCement publishes first financial report with inclusion of Italcementi assets
09 November 2016Germany: HeidelbergCement has reported its first financial results following the completion of its takeover of Italcementi in mid-October 2016. Its revenue rose by 8% to Euro10.9bn in the first nine months of 2016 from Euro10.1bn in the same period in 2015. Its earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) rose by 1.7% to Euro1.40bn from Euro1.38bn. However, its profit fell by 3% to Euro738m from Euro763m. The boost in sales revenue was attributed to the integration of Italcementi into the group but the drop in profits was blamed on higher taxes in North America.
Cement sales volumes grew by 21% to 73Mt from 60.6Mt. Although, on a like-for-like basis, with adjustments consolidation effects, this was reported as 2.5%. Particular growth was reported in the Western and Southern Europe territory due to the influx of new assets from Italcementi. The group’s sales revenue from cement grew by 12% to Euro5.24bn from Euro4.66bn.