RHI Magnesita, the global market leader for refractory products and solutions, plans to invest 23 million euros in the and modernization of its Urmitz site in Germany over the next two years. This investment, the Group’s largest in Germany, will be used to expand and upgrade the traditional plant as a hub for non-basic refractory products. The comprehensive modernization measures will increase the plant’s production volume while at the same time boosting energy efficiency by ten percent. In addition, investments are made in recycling, which will allow RHI Magnesita to increase the share of secondary raw materials The refractories produced in Urmitz are used all over the world as heat-resistant linings for aggregates, predominantly in the steel industry, but also in the glass, cement, lime, energy and chemical industries, in all high-temperature processes above 1200 °C.
“Our strong focus on our customers and their needs has always been the key to our success,” says Constantin Beelitz, Regional President Europe, CIS & Türkiye at RHI Magnesita. “This is a significant and groundbreaking investment in the German and European site which, in addition to increasing productivity, will in particular strengthen product quality and delivery reliability for all our markets. As sustainability is an equally important issue for our customers as it is for us, I am delighted to report that our modernization work will also enable us to increase the energy efficiency of our plant as well as save resources through recycling.”
As part of the investment in Urmitz, RHI Magnesita’s pressing capacities will be increased, a new tunnel kiln with an automatic circulation system and several climate drying chambers will be installed. The plant will thus become a central European hub for non-basic refractory products such as bricks, mixes, and prefabricated components. The workforce at the site will be increased by around 70 employees, most of whom will move to Urmitz from the neighboring site in Kruft.
“We are creating a high-performance center for non-basic refractories. Our customers will benefit from state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and more digitalization, which will allow for greater transparency,” says Markus Pung, Plant Group Manager of RHI Magnesita. “This will enable us to strengthen our position as a supplier in ingot casting, refractory wear products and refractory functional products, increase our output, and broaden our range of non-basic products at the site – while also improving our future environmental footprint.”
The investment represents part of our efforts to optimize RHI Magnesita’s global production network. Our growth strategy will involve focusing on specialization and an individual alignment of our European sites. At the same time, RHI Magnesita will expand in regions with high growth. As a global market leader for refractory products and solutions, it is focusing on the opportunities offered by automation and digitalization in order to further strengthen its competitiveness on the world market.
RHI Magnesita is the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions which are critical for high-temperature processes exceeding 1,200°C in a wide range of industries, including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass. Our purpose is to master heat, enabling global industries to build sustainable modern life. With a vertically integrated value chain, from raw materials to refractory products and full performance-based solutions, RHI Magnesita serves customers globally, with around 12,000 employees in 30 main production sites and more than 70 sales offices. RHI Magnesita pursues an innovative and industry-leading path in technological development and sustainability, including CO2 emissions reduction technology.
The Group maintains a premium listing on the Official list of the London Stock Exchange (symbol: RHIM) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index, with a secondary listing on the Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse). For more information please visit: www.rhimagnesita.com