Ceremonial inauguration of the new conveyor and storage structure at the Stephan Schmidt Group's Meudt site

After around one and a half years of construction, the Stephan Schmidt Group's new conveyor and storage structure at its Meudt site was officially opened on 17 May 2024. Stephan Schmidt welcomed around 90 guests, including the construction companies involved, representatives from authorities, associations and local politics, as well as employees. 

Around 450,000 tonnes of clay are extracted annually from the Meudt pit, which is currently one of the largest open-cast mines in the Westerwald at a depth of 90 metres. A 900 m long conveyor belt system was installed here to replace the diesel-powered lorries previously used for transport. From here, the raw material is transported to the newly built warehouse with ten boxes and a total capacity of 10,000 tonnes. On the roof of the warehouse is a photovoltaic system with around 1,000 solar modules and an output of 350 kwP, which is used to operate the conveyor belt, among other things. The investment therefore makes a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.

"With this new building, which is worth around six million euros, we are continuing to invest in the future of the site to reliably supply our diverse customers in Germany and abroad. This is a major investment in our core business, but also in the location in the Westerwald and therefore in Germany. We have put a big exclamation mark here that we will be building on for decades to come," explained the company boss before pressing a button to start up the new plant together with Technical Manager Ingmar Lepiors and Operations Manager Michael Kilb.

The family business, which was founded in 1947 and is now managed by the third generation, operates a total of 20 quarrying sites in Germany and produces a total of 1.5 million tonnes of clay per year, which is exported to 40 countries worldwide. The Stephan Schmidt Group sells its products in all areas of classic ceramics as well as in special applications under the brand name ACM® - Advanced Clay Minerals. Further information about the company can be found at www.stephan-schmidt.group.