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NEWSLETTER

Knauf Integral KG

Rottleberode, Germany

The customer

Knauf produces modern drywall systems, plasters and accessories, heat insulation composite systems, paints, floating screed and flooring systems, machinery and tools to use these products plus insulating materials. Today, Knauf is a synonym in many countries for gypsum, a material with fascinating characteristics. Gypsum and gypsum-related products and insulating materials are made and sold by Knauf in virtually all west and east European countries. Companies belonging to the Knauf Group also operate in the US (insulating materials), South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. In 2015, the Knauf group had a global workforce of around 26,500.

Knauf

Application

Our collaboration with the Knauf Group has grown due to the development of plasterboard belts in particular. In 2016 it was joined by a new field: the production of gypsum fiberboard. This fiberboard is made in a completely different way to plasterboard and requires conveyor belts with different qualities at various stages of the process. While the outside of plasterboard is fully covered with paper, in the case of fiberboard small pieces of paper are added to the gypsum mixture in order to improve the mechanical qualities of the board. This mixture is spread in a dry state onto the forming belt and then moistened with water to activate the gypsum’s setting process.

Knauf

Our belting solution

Knauf selected us as the belting partner to provide key processing belts for the construction of a new production line in Rottleberode in Germany. In addition to the financial aspects, one of the key reasons they picked us was our products’ high quality and long services lives, as well as our reliability and good service.
The following belts were provided initially:

  • Bin-feeder and bin-discharge belts
  • Swiveling belt, spreading-bin belt and press-top belt, setting belt (127 m long), accelerator belt
  • Spreader belt
  • Press belt and belt for press head beam
  • Drive belt chipper

Although we didn’t deliver them directly to Knauf, our Transilon conveyor and processing belts, as well as Prolink modular belts are used in other parts of the machinery. In these cases we had provided the products to other customers (OEMs).

Knauf

Result

Today we’re listed as Knauf’s preferred supplier of plasterboard setting belts. Close collaboration between us and Knauf also encouraged further belt orders for the new gypsum fiberboard machinery. This machinery was up and running by the end of 2016 and has since been operating efficiently and cost-effectively. This is a reference project that could help to encourage further collaboration on new machinery, modernizations and conversions at gypsum fiberboard producers.