In today’s economy, businesses are facing great challenges to remain one of the best in their field of expertise. Nevertheless, over the last 60 years, AKW Apparate + Verfahren GmbH (translated AKW Equipment + Process Design) has managed to build up a strong reputation and become an important player in the field of customised process design and equipment manufacturing for wet mechanical mineral processing applications.
One of the key assets contributing to the success story of AKW Equipment + Process Design has always been and remains its experienced team. Thibaut Richard, General Manager at AKW Equipment + Process Design recently looked back on its 60 years of success in the world of highly customised wet mechanical treatment solutions in a company interview.
Thibaut Richard, General Manager at AKW Equipment + Process Design
Q Can you summarise the past 60 years of history and success at AKW Equipment + Process Design?
Already more than 100 years ago, kaolin, feldspar, and silica sand were being produced in Hirschau, which is located in the north of Bavaria, Germany. This is also where AKW Equipment + Process Design was founded in April 1963 to support the local industrial mineral resource producers in multiple ways: to improve current production performances, invent new processes for new products and applications, debottleneck existing process steps, and much more. Up to today, our headquarters and major engineering resources are still located in this area. This loyalty to the local region would not have been possible without the strong, long-lasting involvement and support of the company’s owners and principal shareholders – the brothers Thomas and Johannes Heckmann – who are originally from Hirschau and still live locally. Step by step, the success and reputation of the company has also naturally led to the supply of international projects across the world. This has made the company what it is today: one of the leading specialists for high-quality equipment and plants for the wet mechanical processing and valorising of mineral resources.
Q: Compared to its beginnings, where is the company now in terms of global reach?
Since our founding and as per the nature of our business, we have been taking a proactive approach to the issue of globalisation and the opportunities it represents. As a result, nowadays the company continues to benefit from the set-up of Shanghai AKW Separation Process Equipment Co Ltd, a very successful JV in China, with AKW holding a majority stake, that celebrated its 15 years anniversary in 2021. As environmental-related technologies and process solutions have become increasingly important for the Chinese market, we also founded a new company in Shanghai called VORTEX in 2020 that would exclusively focus on and deal with these matters. Furthermore, we benefit from two important sales and service offices for the CIS and Middle Eastern regions, as well as a pool of professionals and competent agents in those regions. The sales mix evolution – nowadays with a minimum of 50% of our annual revenues generated outside of the EU – has shaped our corporate culture, capabilities and resources accordingly, positioning us today as a well-established, globally reputed, successful EPC player with loyal customers and hundreds of executed plants worldwide.
AKA-SPIDER equipped with AKA-VORTEX hydrocyclones
Q: How important is your internal testing capability in terms of innovation?
Over time it has become clear that our technical centre equipped with both physical and analytical capabilities and spread over a 900 m2 area with six dedicated staff was highly beneficial for our daily business. Although it is difficult to generate impactful innovations in the wet mechanical processing sector, breakthroughs can still be made. Working on mineral processing with a fully equipped technical centre, where both lab-scale and pilot-scale test works can be organised, gives us unique insights to improve our existing knowledge as well as staying close to the market’s concerns to allow us to evolve requirements and find the best solutions to our client’s problems. AKW Equipment + Process Design is one of the few companies to benefit from such an internal asset that enables us to turn around a complete wet mechanical treatment solution from concept to realisation. On an annual basis, we carry out more than 300 tests in our technical centre, with material samples coming from all geographical areas.
Q: Can you share some of the groundbreaking milestones for AKW Equipment + Process Design over your 60 years of business?
If we focus on company milestones, we should start in 1986 when we became fully independent from any industrial group. In 2005, we then relocated to our newly constructed main office premises where we also built our new state-of-the-art technical centre and laboratory in 2011, bringing us to another level of expertise and position in the market. In terms of markets and project successes, there have been multiple milestones reached. Firstly, we became one of the major players worldwide in hydrocyclone solution design. Furthermore, we developed unique expertise in the fields of clay and silica sand treatment, plus introduced new classification solutions for alumina processing. We were also the first to recycle blast furnace sludges, for which we were granted a European award. We also developed and implemented the first soil-washing recycling plant in the leading Swiss market and began supporting coal-fired power plants to improve their environmental footprint through the so-called flue-gas-desulfurisation process. Last but not least, we erected the first plastic recycling installation for pre-separation of plastics from household waste back in the 1980s in Germany. Some of the process solutions designed by our company over time still constitute nowadays a best-in-class and a clear benchmark reference point. This shows how strong our know-how, reliability, and success have been.
Q: Is digitalisation having a major effect on your business development?
Yes, more recently, we started being exposed to the digitalisation megatrend. This new feature is definitely bringing advantages for some of our process solutions, for example, in 2023 we have developed and released a new and revolutionary software approach for our AKOREL free-fall classifier system. However, I also believe that we must remain cautious – we are not just increasing the digitalisation level across all our equipment and solutions too quickly, especially where the results are not proven. Digitalisation at AKW Equipment + Process Design will never dictate the customer experience, but rather improve it in a meaningful way.
Q: What is your outlook on the future for AKW Equipment + Process Design?
Many companies strive to keep growing and growing. At AKW Equipment + Process Design, we recognise the need to remain profitable to retain our ability to invest in new resources, ideas, partnerships, and manufacturing capabilities. However, this focus on growth should not be done at the expense of our service and customer focus. In a similar way, we have always sought to position ourselves as a company offering customised and tailor-made solutions, and we do not intend to move away from this aim. The way our solutions and technologies can impact the environment is also becoming of growing concern, and already requires our engineers to think differently about some of our proposals and integrate new recycling and optimisation loops. These are both new challenges as well as outstanding opportunities, to anchor the company in the next chapter of its development. The frugal approach which we have for growth and profit generation, supported by our shareholders, is the best way to move forward for sustainable growth and success. We are proud of what we have achieved over the past 60 years and are excited about what’s next – a future full of innovations, success, collaborations, and great teamwork.
