PROFILE
180
Inside Marine
CORROSION
I
COMBATTING
MAHNKE
The name Mahnke has been ever-present in the world of vulcanisation (the processes for hardening rubbers) since 1921. Today, the company’s varied products can be found in a wide variety of industries. As Jordan Yallop discovered, one of the most recent markets Mahnke has ventured into is the maritime sector, where the company’s many specialist corrosion resistant coatings are proving essential in this industry.
P
eter Mahnke GmbH, based in Kalübbe, Germany, enjoys a stellar reputation within the vulcanisation industry. The company was founded by Peter Mahnke together with his sister Evelin Mahnke-Vock in 1970 with the aim of fully focusing on the vulcanisation techniques for the industrial sector. Previous to this, the name Mahnke was primarily focused on the repair of car tyres and despite the difficulties presented by the socioeconomic factors of the time, the business built by Friedrich Mahnke thrived and became a well-known company. The 1950’s saw a shift in production, whereby the company’s previous specialisation in tyres was being replaced due to more demand for industrial applications. These two areas of production originally took place simultaneously, but as time pro-
gressed, the industrial applications sector was growing. The subsequent decades were characterised by continued growth of the company and by economic success, and two years later, Peter Mahnke GmbH was founded. Today, the company’s customers include various businesses ranging from chemical, energy, heavy industry and shipyards. Janosch Mahnke, Managing Director, talked about why the company has delved into the maritime sector: “We started in a new business field in 1990 called surface protection, which provides rubber linings that protect against corrosion. “This new business avenue opened up our company to the maritime sector, and today we supply the rubber lining of the cooling systems on board vessels.
