Excursion of the “Rothenfels Castle Working Group” to Schwenk

Members of the non-partisan “Working Group on Burg Rothenfels” recently undertook a tour of the “Schwenk Cement Works” in Karlstadt.

Under the expert guidance of Mr. Rüger (production manager), we were given a factory presentation of the history and an introduction to the variety of manufacturing processes and the resulting products from Schwenk.

Not only cement, but also a variety of special building materials are manufactured here. The Schwenk company was founded in Ulm in 1847 and is therefore the oldest German family company in the building materials industry. The Karlstadt plant was expanded into a very modern and innovative company.

The company is divided into divisions and the aerial photos shown of the factory premises and the old and new quarry on the other side of the Main were very impressive. Schwenk has very regional roots.

During the subsequent one-and-a-half-hour tour of the factory, the dimensions of the factory premises were impressive. One could see that continuous investments are being made in the modern production facilities in order to be able to keep them at a technically high standard. The fuels used to generate the necessary energy in the manufacturing process vary greatly in their use and efficiency, from used tires, sewage sludge, industrial waste and animal meal.

The productions and the extensive, highly automated quality controls ensure the high demands placed on the products. The affiliated laboratory is fully automated in sample preparation and analysis. The computer-assisted kiln flour control was very impressive.

A special feature of the Karlstadt plant is the company port. Innovation is very pronounced in research and in the development of new products.

During the concluding snack, the collected impressions could be discussed and processed.

By: Norbert Schraut (Secretary, AK Burg Rothenfels)