KHD is a global leader in providing equipment and services to cement producers, with over 150 years of experience in the cement industry. Process engineering and project management are among the core competencies of the technology-focused group. KHD offers a wide spectrum of products and services for the cement industry and is a leader in environmentally friendly and energy-efficient products. KHD Humboldt Wedag India is a wholly owned subsidiary of KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG, and serves the Indian sub-continent with technology for the cement and minerals industries. An interview with Martin Gierse of KHD Humboldt Wedag IndiaWhat kinds of machinery is manufactured by you?
For cement plants, KHD offers full-line engineering and equipment supply, individual machines, equipment packages, spare parts, as well as process automation and instrumentation. We provide core equipment for over 50 per cent of an entire cement plant. Manufacturing is done partly at our own workshop in Faridabad and in close co-operation /association with select engineering workshops.Who are your major clients and how do you plan to expand your business?KHD HWI caters to clients in the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, as their main market. Our major clients are, amongst others, major cement players like Ultratech, Jaypee, and Shree Cement. There is good exposure to overseas projects, especially in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, HWI and KHD are targeting EPC solutions and expansion of our service offerings.What are the prospects for cement machinery in India?Recent forecasts for the coming three years project that the cement industry will grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 12 per cent, to reach 303 million metric tons per annum in 2014. Keeping the present degree of utilization in mind, this suggests a growth rate for the installation of production facilities to be roughly 8 per cent per annum.What are the latest technological developments in cement machinery?February 5, 2012, marked another milestone in grinding technology with the successful start-up of the first grinding plant with our COMFLEX-D? technology. With COMFLEX-D?, the largest kiln lines can be covered with one grinding unit. This technology proves to use the least power and has the lowest operational cost for grinding of raw material, clinker, and slag. Also recently, at the 6th Global CemFuels Conference in Aachen, Germany, KHD’s Combustion Chamber won the award for ‘Most innovative technology for alternative fuels use’.How crucial is R&D for KHD?
Our R&D is an important part of the success stories for many KHD technologies. We were the first to introduce many breakthroughs in the cement industry, like the world’s first preheater tower, or, more recently, our energy efficient COMFLEX? and COMFLEX-D? modular grinding systems. Our highly efficient pyro processing equipment requires less heat and energy consumption, and thus avoids unnecessary CO2. To keep this competitive edge, KHD conducts research, both within their own laboratory facilities, as well as those operated by our partnerships.Do you also export your machinery?
Though the Indian subcontinent is the home market for HWI, KHD has delivered equipment from India to other markets, like Africa, the Middle East, Nepal, Bhutan, and others. Indian-sourced equipment and technology can be a major part of the total deliveries.What are your future plans?Customers will look for highly efficient technology with the best balance of cost, performance, quality, and delivery. KHD will serve the local market through HWI, as a Customer Service Center, with latest technology and the appropriate sourcing strategy. Our focus is "Clean Technology" -low emissions, energy-efficient processes, and environmentally-friendly technology for benefit of our clients.In the future, we will see further strengthening of our local service business. As the most recent development, HWI set up a state-of-the-art roller refurbishment facility in India. The facility was successfully commissioned in January, and already a few rollers have been "rolled out". With this, the high quality that our clients connect with KHD equipment will be locally available and easily accessible.