“Schwab - The Next Generation”

The latest generation of compulsory mixers, wet and dry masonry saws including dust extraction, gunning machines, sandblasting equipment and rotary kiln brick lining equipment were also on display and could be inspected and tested directly.

As a further highlight, Schwab exhibited one of its working platforms at this event. These were developed in collaboration with the company Weber in Braunfels, statically tested and manufactured in accordance with all safety requirements for free-hanging working platforms. The special feature of these new platforms is that they are variable in diameter and can be individually adapted to the diameter of the lime kiln systems on the construction sites.

In addition, all platforms are equipped with a safety cage to protect against falling kiln material or loose bricks. Schwab has 5 of these platforms in its portfolio, as well as the associated lifting tools and safety blocstops. All diameters from 2 to 6 m can be covered.

Schwab‘s large machines were also available for inspection on this day. A Bobcat excavator with chisel for demolition work in the rotary kiln and a wheel loader with turning fork, which is mainly used for recycling extraction. In recent years, Schwab has paid particular attention to the recovery of finite raw materials. During demolition work, for example, the excavated material is conveyed out of the kiln by type and fed to a recycling company via the company’s own rubble skips.

The biggest advantage, apart from the fact that disposal is cost-neutral in the current market situation, are the certificates that are handed over to the waste disposal site. In 2023 alone, 1000 t of Al₂O₃ and MgO and so far 700 t in 2024 were fed into the recycling process and valuable raw materials were thus at least partially conserved. Producing 1 t of refractory material with recycled product instead of using new raw material produces 50 times less CO₂.

Schwab also organized external speakers for the lunch program at this event. August Buchberger kicked things off with an interesting presentation on the dosing systems from Carbotechnik. One highlight here was the mobile wood dosing system, which was also on display at the Dannenfels site and which customers were able to see for themselves. With these dosing systems, coarser dusts such as wood or biomass dust can be dosed and conveyed with high precision and pulsation-free. Some of the possible particle sizes are up to 8 mm.  The units are ideal for converting to biogenic, sustainable fuels. The mobile dosing machine can be loaned to interested customers for test purposes.

The event continued with a presentation on the maintenance of cable winches by the company SKT before Planeteers gave a presentation on the biggest current challenge of CO₂ emissions and a possible solution. Finally, the Göttingen-based company Refratechnik gave a presentation on its activities and solutions in the field of refractories for the lime sector. In addition, Harald and Hendrik Schwab gave presentations on the topics “Schwab - 44 years of experience” and gave an outlook for the future.

In the evening, the “Next Generation” company handover ceremony took place. Here, the guests had the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange ideas alongside food and musical accompaniment as well as a cabaret artist on the topic of “We are all mixed up”. The workshop ended the following day with a joint breakfast and a hike on the Donnersberg “from the Celts to King Ludwig to Bismarck and Moltke”.

Innovative strength and perfect service: Schwab All about Lime GmbH sets standards for the lime industry

As one of the international leaders in the construction, relining, repair and optimization of lime kilns, Schwab impresses with its comprehensive range of services and outstanding expertise. With over 44 years of experience and a deep understanding of the industry, Harald and Hendrik Schwab are reliable partners for customized solutions for the worldwide operation of all types of lime kilns.

For decades, Harald Schwab has been a true industry great for lime worldwide and many of today’s common developments and standards can be traced back to his innovative strength and commitment to lime over many years.

“Our customers benefit not only from our technical expertise, but also from our flexibility and reliability,” emphasizes his son Hendrik Schwab, who is now Managing Director. “With our innovative approach and the continuous development of our services, we are able to offer individual solutions that are precisely tailored to the needs of our customers.”

A particular highlight at Schwab is its sophisticated warehousing system. The company has an extensive material warehouse that enables it to deliver refractory materials to almost any location in the world within a very short time. This efficient storage concept ensures that supply bottlenecks can be avoided, fluctuating market prices can be balanced out and the biggest bottleneck, namely long kiln downtimes, can be avoided. In addition, the perfectly equipped Schwab Tool-Box containers as well as machines and tools for almost all requirements and construction sites always guarantee availability at short notice.

Schwab All about Lime GmbH offers comprehensive services from the planning of new plants of any kiln type - prototypes through to implementation, detailed planning of repair work in various scenarios and optimization of lime kiln operation.

Coordination and organization of all construction and repair work, including material procurement and logistics, as well as provision of personnel - everything from a single source. Hendrik Schwab continues on the subject of increasing staff and quality.

In addition to its office team, which has its own construction department at the Dannenfels site, Schwab has its own supervisors who are deployed worldwide. Schwab also has access to a pool of 50 bricklayers who are specialized in all common lime kilns and are tailored to the respective projects. “Especially in recent years, where more and more PFR kilns have been installed worldwide, a new generation of repairs and conversions is coming onto the market and onto us,” emphasizes Harald Schwab.

Extensive material flow tests on original models of all kiln types, scale 1:15, and adjustments to the geometry of the respective models have not only resulted in quality optimizations but also demonstrable increases in performance.

Schwab AAL has also created a way of controlling the material flow in the area of the overflow channel. With the innovation of cleaning and viewports, not only the material flow in the furnace can be controlled, but also targeted cleaning of deposits in this area of the overflow channel. The use of the tapper lining concept in these kilns is also well received and is now implemented in almost every kiln repair in PFR kilns.

This gives the lime the chance to expend right below the  lances. It improves the flow through the lime bed and thus optimizes the lime quality and prevents the formation of so-called saussage building during the calcination process. Many of these applications and measures for kiln optimization are carried out in close cooperation and coordination with the respective kiln operators.

Together with a market-leading lime manufacturer, a new prototype for lime production was also designed and realized under the direction of a supervisor in the refractory sector. This is currently in the start-up phase. A further aggregate part for this kiln unit is also being realized by Schwab AAL and also with participation in the project.

A further step for a furnace type on a scale of 1: 5 for the use of CO₂ is currently being planned and extensive investigations into the material flow have just been carried out on a model as well as calculations for this furnace. “We are lime”, is the motto of senior Harald Schwab ’and I will certainly and hopefully make it to the half century in lime’.

To mark the official handover of the baton to the next generation, the editor-in-chief of ZKG CEMENT LIME GYPSUM spoke to the managing directors of Schwab All about Lime GmbH, Hendrik and Harald Schwab.

Harald Schwab: I completed my training as a mechanical engineer and, after a brief foray into filling technology, I started my career in 1980 at Didier-Werke in Grünstadt, the former world market leader for the lining of lime kilns. From then on, things quickly went uphill and my passion for lime was awakened. In the 1980s, I witnessed the entire development of lime kilns, the new PFR kilns were just emerging, the annular shaft kilns had their heyday and we sold a kiln every month. I was then also traveling abroad more and more and visited almost every country, China was one of my main focuses in my work abroad. We sold five annular shaft kilns there during my time with the M-Group. I was 60 in 2019 and actually wanted to retire. Then coronavirus hit in 2020 and I couldn’t say goodbye to anyone. At the same time, the relationship with the M-Group fell apart. I then set up my own consulting company in my home town of Dannenfels. When you’ve been in the lime business for 40 years, you know the kilns and gain a lot of experience. And that‘s when my son Hendrik joined the company.

Hendrik Schwab: When the consultation went well, the first customers approached us and asked if we also do supply refractory material. Followed by requests for installation. Soon we were offering the complete package. Today, other components have also been added.

Harald Schwab: We also offer kiln optimizations. With PFR kilns, for example, we have developed the changeable lanceboxes. We have also developed the tapper lining and the installation of view- and cleaning ports - all this has happened in the last four years.

Harald Schwab: The PFR kilns are now at an age where they need their first major overhaul. We are trying to optimize these kilns - with tapper lining, different geometry, etc. We revise the original design as part of a repair. Every 7 to 10 years, the kilns have to be overhauled.

The changeable lancebox, tapper lining, changing the geometry of the kiln by giving it ovality in the kiln bottom, our view- and cleaning ports so that one can look inside the kiln while another person can clean it by being directed.

Hendrik Schwab: Using standard formats in the material lining. This way we can install the same shapes at various kilns. And, of course, we also have our special and customer-friendly delivery system. We keep material on site for customers who want it, so that it can be delivered immediately if required. We store the material under ideal conditions, which cannot be done in the various plants.

Hendrik Schwab: There are actually six main points that make up our company - optimization, material supply, repairs, installation, maintenance and engineering. With this package, the customer receives a complete package from us, from cooling down the kiln via an updated engineering, the repair itself and heating it up again. The customer can therefore be sure that the kiln will run at the end. We also support during the kiln operation if everything is going well.

Harald Schwab: We build 1:15 models of lime kilns so that we can understand and optimize the processes in the kiln. The grain size fed in is then also scaled to 1:15. The model works exactly like a large kiln, including the material discharge. We also work together with other companies on this.

Hendrik Schwab: We are also working with other experts to develop a new type of kiln based on a model like this.

Hendrik Schwab: In fact, I don’t want to reinvent the current council, we will certainly continue to expand our great warehouse concept. We will remain broadly positioned and of course we are active worldwide. That also makes economic sense. One new topic is the use of biomass, which we will be focusing on extensively. The last two years have gone very, very well. Especially as the success of the Schwab company and my father as a person has proven itself over decades. That’s why I would like to maintain the tried and tested and supplement/optimize it with my new perspectives and approaches. Another very important point for me is the satisfaction of my employees, as it is their performance that makes Schwab what it is. At the end of the day, this benefits your own company because you have a happy end customer.

Flexibility is extremely important, especially in these increasingly uncertain times. We want to offer our customers this service and act in a solution-oriented manner in the event of postponements of planned repairs. Customer loyalty and constant communication with the factories, even when no current repairs are due, is also an important aspect of Schwab AAL’s future orientation.

However, handing over the baton in no way means a break with the past. Rather, we are focusing on continuity. In an industry that thrives on precision, technical expertise and decades of experience, continuity is invaluable. The combination of proven knowledge and fresh, dynamic management creates a basis for sustainable success and future-oriented developments.

Harald Schwab: I see CO₂ savings above all in the use of wood dust as a renewable fuel. This is already being used very successfully in Italy. And we now need to develop this further here too. We are also involved in various projects to optimize lime kilns and capture CO₂ from the lime burning process. You will certainly be hearing more about this in the future.