Joining in a “World Café”
After a successful first seminar in 2012, the Loesche Training Center organised a follow-up in October 2013 in Duesseldorf/Germany. More than 40 people (customers, suppliers and colleagues from subsidiaries) from all over the world joined a two-day seminar in the Hotel MutterHaus in Kaiserswerth. It all started on Oct. 7th with a late autumn evening in Duesseldorf’s most modern district, the Media Harbour. After an interesting architectural tour the delegates had the chance to get to know each other during an ice-breaker party in Germany’s highest bar in the Rhine Tower. A height of 168 m above ground level offered a stunning view and a great sunset over Duesseldorf. During this first evening all participants already started to exchange experiences with Loesche experts and customers.
The seminar itself took place in the historical Hotel MutterHaus located in Kaiserswerth. Theodora Bruns and the Loesche Training Center team organised the seminar and Dr. Daniel Strohmeyer (Process Technology Department, Loesche GmbH) moderated the sessions. Nine lecturers presented an up-to-date overview on process and operation of a Loesche Mill, its hydraulic system, and the latest development in classifier technology. Specific attention was paid to wear, repair and spare parts. Lectures on oil quality and oil sampling, and on new cement types were also included.
The first presentation was given by Prof. Dr. Albrecht Wolter from the Technical University Clausthal. He presented an overview on the European standardisation of ternary cements. In the following, Christian Ruthenberg, technical trainer at Loesche and co-organiser of this seminar, spoke about the processing and operating of a Loesche mill. Carsten Heine from OilDoc GmbH gave an overview on different oil qualities and explained the importance of oil analyses and the correct oil sampling.
After the lunch break, Dirk Grube, Loesche Design Department, started the afternoon session which concentrated on hydraulic systems in a Loesche mill. Subsequently, Dr. Wolfgang Hahmann, HYDAC Technology GmbH, explained hydraulic accumulators in particular.
The end of the first seminar day was a premiere: Dr. Regina Krammer, Loesche Training Center, organised a most effective group work called ‘World Café’. The presenters hosted several panels (the so-called World Café tables) where all delegates had the chance to discuss their own specific questions with experts and other customers. This new didactic method was accepted very well and many lively debates took place at the different tables. Not only delegates, but also the Loesche experts learned a lot during the World Café sessions.
The first day ended in the Classic Remise Duesseldorf, a center for vintage cars in a historic roundhouse for locomotives. All participants had the unique chance to see beautiful vintage cars and motorbikes in a spectacular atmosphere. Hundreds of photos were taken and all delegates enjoyed the tour filled with stories. It was obvious that cars are the most emotional masterpieces of engineering.
The second seminar day was opened by Helmut Frieling, Loesche Design Department, with an interesting presentation on the latest developments in classifier technologies. Hugo Meiring, Loesche Technical Field Service, explained how to carry out inspections at Loesche mills in a cement plant.
After a second World Café session, Stefan Wölfel, Loesche Technical Field Service, concentrated on wear and repair in mills. Finally, Oliver Rayen and Ralph Viebrock, Loesche Spare Part Sales, gave an interesting overview on the lifetime and costs of different wear materials for grinding parts.
The 2nd Technical Seminar Duesseldorf offered a great opportunity to join a network of experts, to foster personal knowledge and to establish interesting contacts within the cement industry. The planning for next year‘s Technical Seminar has already started.
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