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In 2007, around 200 million tons of lime were produced
worldwide. China and the USA are the biggest producers with 75
and 21 million t respectively. With 6.8 million t, Germany lies in
sixth place. A key aspect is that according to estimates, the
market will grow by 5.5 percent per year to 2010. And the
production of lime, in particular the kiln process, is very similar
to cement production - one of the core competencies of plant
construction expert Polysius. "For this reason, it was also
relevant to develop an independent strategy for this market,"
said Dr. Thomas Schmitz, head of the "Lime strategy"
ThyssenKrupp best project at Polysius.
The burning process is at the heart of lime production. The
rotary kilns used by Polysius for cement manufacture are
suitable for this, but the market is dominated by shaft kilns and
Zurich-based Maerz AG, the company acquired by Polysius
two years ago, is a market and technology leader in this area.
"This enabled us to round out our portfolio for the lime industry
without time-consuming and risky new developments," explains Schmitz. Stephan Lechner, Managing Director of Maerz AG,
adds: "The two companies complement each other ideally.
Maerz has the customer contacts and established products.
Polysius provides the opportunity to acquire larger-scale projects
for entire plants through its many years of global experience in
the construction of large plants and rotary kilns."
The foundations were laid with the merger of the two companies.
The next steps for systematically developing the lime market
were defined within the framework of the ThyssenKrupp best
sales initiative. The first step was to establish a lime competencies
center in Zurich. Order intake and resource planning were
also drawn up on the basis of the expanded product range.
Added to this are measures, some of which are or will
become independent ThyssenKrupp best projects, for example
to review the Maerz product range for potential savings.
"We held brainstorming sessions with employees
from Maerz and Polysius for these projects - and
the results are impressive," reports Dirk Dilly, responsible
for coordinating ThyssenKrupp best activities at Polysius.
Under the purchasing initiative, procurement is also being
centralized, pooled and internationalized. This is why there is
now a buyer responsible exclusively for Maerz in the central
Polysius purchasing department in Beckum.
Both companies are already profiting from the cooperation
and the systematic approach supported by ThyssenKrupp best:
order intake, earnings and margins have been increased, a
further expansion of the product range is planned.
The first joint development by Polysius and Maerz is already in
the assembly phase: a so-called shaft preheater with a sulfur
bypass. It enables the lime needed for the manufacture of steel
to be produced more cost-effectively and with significantly lower
CO2 emissions. The preheater was developed with cross-segment
support from ThyssenKrupp and will go into operation
shortly.
Versatile
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