Stephan Schmidt Group at ceramitec (Hall A5, Booth 101/202)
Stephan Schmidt Group (Germany), a family-owned medium-sized group of companies, is one of the world’s leading producers of special clays and industrial minerals. 20 company-owned clay pits with resources for the generations to come, state-of-the art extraction and processing facilities and a dedicated team of 200 employees allow the production of more than 1.5 million tons of raw materials every year, which are delivered to customers in more than 40 countries worldwide with an export rate of over 60 %. Stephan Schmidt Group sells its products to all sectors of ceramic industries as well as for special applications under the trade name of ACM® – Advanced Clay Minerals.
Fully in line with the slogan “Expertise in Clay“, the company can draw on decades of experience in research and development and is always one step ahead in terms of innovation thanks to its production sites and laboratories which are equipped with the latest technology. At the same time, Stephan Schmidt Group stands for reliability and continuity towards customers, business partners and employees.
As a clay-mining company, Stephan Schmidt Group attaches great importance to the careful use of resources and the environment and has therefore been investing heavily in its sustainable orientation for many years.
One of the major measures currently underway is the conversion of the clay transport system from the pit depths of the Meudt mine. A new, more than 1.1 km-long belt conveyor replaces to the greatest possible extent the diesel-powered trucks previously used to transport raw materials. The conveyor belt, which is mainly powered by solar electricity, thus makes a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. This new plant opens up a new part of the deposit with high-quality light-firing clays for the tile and sanitaryware industry.
As an energy-intensive company, Stephan Schmidt Group naturally pursues an overall strategy of extending its own renewable energy generation and its use in its production facilities, intensively treating all topics related to photovoltaics, wind energy and hydrogen production. In this way, the company continually reduces the use of primary energy and the resulting negative environmental impact on air, water and soil. Several operating sites are already equipped with large photovoltaic systems on the roofs, which is already helping the company in limiting the increase in energy costs.
In addition, together with a partner, the company has founded a new subsidiary, Windpark Arborn GmbH, whose goal is to erect and operate a wind power plant. Some of the green electricity generated by this will be used to produce green hydrogen in one of the company’s plants to replace fossil natural gas in the production of ground clay.