From miniature catalyst to backing bricks

» Dr.-Ing. Jens Petzold answered the questions asked by Zi Editor Anett Fischer at the 18th Eurosymposium

» The Keramik-Institut has extensive equipment for the assessment and development of raw materials, ceramic bodies and products

Keramik-Institut in Meissen is active in all branches of ceramics, from building and heavy clay ceramics to porcelain, sanitaryware and technical ceramics. Dr.-Ing. Jens Petzold, who has directed the Institute since the start of this year, explained to us the focuses of the company’s work: product development, prototyping, quality assurance and active and practical trouble-shooting on site.

You have been Managing Director of KI Keramik-Institut GmbH since January 2013. How has the year gone under your direction so far?

2013 has been business as usual for us. In recent years we have worked a lot in the field of thin film coating (solar and architectural glass), unfortunately this business has slumped. We have, however, succeeded in compensating for this decline with orders from other business sectors. This is where it pays for the Institute to systematically serve the entire bandwidth of ceramics rather than concentrating on one sub-sector. In the clay brick and tile industry, we...