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Schmidt + Clemens GmbH + Co . KG : Achieving Achieve Innovation Together
Schmidt + Clemens GmbH + Co KG is a family business with a passion for customized products , creative research and development tasks and innovation . 145 years of tradition and experience in the production of cast stainless steel has carried the company through the constant changes in the industry and in society . Lars Niemczewski , Head of Corporate Communications , spoke to Stainless Steel World Americas about the upcoming digitalization , artificial intelligence , the company ' s sustainability efforts and investments , and about the reasons why he is proud to be part of the S + C family .
By Sonja Wingels , Stainless Steel World Germany
" We are a niche stainless steel plant . You do not get anything off the shelf from us . We listen carefully to the problems our customers describe and then look for the optimum solutions that we can offer , with our patented alloys and manufacturing processes , or for innovative solutions that we can create together . We develop the product specifically for the customer ' s needs so that it is perfectly tailored to their facility ,” explained Lars Niemczewski . He works as the Innovation Manager and is also responsible for global corporate communications as well as press and marketing at Schmidt + Clemens .
By constantly facing new challenges , S + C employees continue to drive innovation in the stainless steel industry . “ Because what works today may be outdated tomorrow ,” commented the Niemczewski . This is why the company operates one of the largest research and development departments in the industry with over 30 researchers , scientists , and engineers who are constantly working on developing solutions . These can be products or services . In the holistic optimization service , the customer ' s machinery and system operating data are examined and analyzed , whereupon goals such as more output , less energy consumption , and the like are defined with the customer and a solution is then developed together .
Innovation Thanks to Tradition
" Our success is based on passion , innovation , and tradition . All the innovations that we have developed and the patents that we have registered would not have been possible without the wealth of experience from our 145-year history with its long-standing tradition and the passion of all our employees to find and develop solutions for customers ,” said Niemczewski .
Schmidt + Clemens is a family business that is now managed by Jan Schmidt-Krayer in the fourth generation . Founded in 1879 by Ludwig Schmidt and Wilhelm Clemens in Frankfurt am Main , Schmidt + Clemens was initially a stainless steel trader . However , the urge to manufacture products of their own was great and so the company settled in the founders ' place of origin , Lindlar in the Upper Berg region in Germany , near Cologne . This location had a stream that served the company as a source of energy to power the forging hammers . From there , the company quickly developed into a foundry , which started its own mold casting production in 1932 . This expanded its production a few years later to include horizontal and vertical centrifugal casting as well as investment casting production . Today , the company , which supplied centrifugally cast pipes to the petrochemical industry for the first time in 1962 , is the world market leader for tube systems for the petrochemical industry .
In the 145 years of the company ' s history , S + C has also been able to establish many international footholds . The company has more than 30 commercial agencies worldwide and , in addition to its headquarters , also produces in the Czech Republic , Spain , and Malaysia . There is also a sales office in Houston , Texas . S + C employs around 1,100 people worldwide , with around 650 at its headquarters . Niemczewski said : “ We are very firmly rooted in the locations where we operate . It is of great importance to the entrepreneurial family that we take responsibility in these regions . We are committed to charitable and non-profit causes at all locations and support food banks and schools . Once or twice a year , our trainees also get involved as part of a social day , where they help out at food banks or renovate a playground , for example ."
Process Optimization on 1.5 Kilometers Factory Site
The plant in Malaysia has just been optimized through investments . This year , despite the high energy costs , the focus is on the German facility . The problem there is that the location is in a narrow valley . Many factory halls and other buildings have grown organically - they were built where space and resources were available . Nowadays , if goods have to be transported from one end of the plant to the other , the distance can be up to 1.5 kilometers . Restructuring measures are therefore being implemented to optimize throughput . This year , in particular , the largest hall in which the main product , centrifugally cast pipes , is manufactured is being overhauled . The company is also investing in digitalization and using artificial intelligence to achieve a very significant optimization of processes .
Supported Through AI
" One topic that affects us all is artificial intelligence . Where can we use this artificial intelligence to improve our products and our processes ?” explained Niemczewski . “ As a medium-sized company in our industry , we see our plans with AI as very advanced and we will already be using it this year .”
2 Stainless Steel World Americas - June 2024 | www . ssw-americas . com