in 1953, a revolution in terms of energy efficiency 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, the USA in 1974 and South Africa in 1977. Major developments followed in 1993 after German reunification, when KHD merged with Dessaubased ZAB, a major player in Russian. 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 outsourc-
ing 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 construction accounts for the majority of sales, there are also upgrades and service contracts for existing facilities.
ing to a strategic partnership that opens up the Chinese market, which accounts for 50 per cent of global cement capacity. “We will provide our process technology exclusively to AVIC for cement projects, while they are our exclusive supplier for civil construction works. We combine the best of east and west, by bringing proven technology from Germany together with the competitive price of construction from China,” says Mr Slomski. KHD has already established a procurement centre in China, because “Chinese partners can source more cost effectively from within their own country than any ‘foreign’ company could, so this gives us very competitive rates.”
East meets west
Closer to customers
In February 2011 KHD announced a bold strategic move: The Chinese group AVIC acquired 20 per cent of its shares, lead-
KHD holds numerous patents and is known as a front runner for creativity and innovation. The R&D department in Cologne focuses on