Update from Keller HCW
At CERAMITEC, the long-established company Keller HCW made its return following the successful completion of its restructuring. The ZI editorial team visited the Ibbenbüren-based machine manufacturer’s booth and spoke with CEO Andrea Pasquali. The result is the following interview, in which you can learn how the company is shaping the next chapter of its development on the basis of a stable foundation and a clear strategic direction.
After completing the restructuring process, what are Keller’s plans for the next phase?
Andrea Pasquali (AP): The completion of the restructuring marks, for us, the closing of a phase of careful preparation and the beginning of a phase of disciplined execution. The exercise made Keller more focused, more agile, and better aligned with where the heavy-clay and ceramic industries are actually heading. We have built our next chapter on three pillars that mirror what our customers tell us every day: first, expanding our technology offering in process optimization, energy-efficient solutions and automation; second, growing our service and retrofit business, where we have an outstanding installed base and decades of accumulated process knowledge; and third, supporting our customers even more actively in their modernization and decarbonization journeys. We approach this next phase from a position of clarity – about who we are, what we do best, and the partners with whom we want to grow.
How has Keller’s revenue and market position developed over the past six months? Is the focus on growth markets beginning to pay off?
AP: We are seeing encouraging signals, and – equally importantly – we are seeing them across geographies and customer segments, which to us is a good indicator that the strategic direction is structurally sound and not driven by a single market or a single project. Over the past months, customer discussions and project activity have clearly confirmed that our focus on selected growth areas is the right one. Customers are increasingly looking for partners who can combine three things at once: deep process expertise, the practical ability to modernize plants while they keep running, and credible, technically-grounded decarbonization solutions. That combination is rarer than one might think, and it is precisely where Keller‘s positioning has become increasingly relevant. The order book is developing in line with our internal plan, the dialogue with our customers is active and constructive, and the strategic direction is clearly gaining traction.
How are Keller’s offerings for the electrification of furnaces, the decarbonization of existing plants and the development of energy-efficient process technologies being received by customers?
AP: These topics have moved firmly to the center of every customer conversation we have. Producers are under simultaneous pressure to reduce energy consumption, lower emissions, prepare for future energy scenarios, and protect the economics of plants that still have many productive years ahead of them. What we see is strong, mature interest in practical, step-by-step solutions: improving process efficiency, optimizing existing plants, integrating smarter measurement and control systems, and evaluating alternative energy concepts in a sequence that fits each site. In that context, electrification is a key topic, but the experienced operator understands that it works best as one element of a broader, site-specific transformation strategy. That is exactly the conversation our process engineers are equipped to lead – and one we have been preparing for through years of targeted R&D, including publicly co-funded development work on electrified hot-air generation for the firing process. The technology is no longer aspirational; it is being implemented.
What were the customers asking for most at CERAMITEC?
AP: The strongest themes were energy efficiency, decarbonization, modernization of existing plants, automation, and long-term service support – and behind those themes, almost universally, a request for a reliable partner with continuity, internal stability, and the engineering depth to deliver. Customers want solutions that are technically sound, economically realistic, and adaptable to their production environment. That aligns very precisely with this year‘s CERAMITEC emphasis on sustainability, energy transition, and „operational“ Artificial Intelligence, and with Keller‘s own combination of process know-how and practical implementation capability. We have a clear-eyed view of where the heavy-clay industry stands today: facing a demanding transition, but also enjoying renewed strategic attention as the construction sector seeks durable, low-embodied-carbon materials. Moreover, at CERAMITEC, the demands were complemented by a growing and very concrete interest in activated clay solutions, a technological sector which we are addressing with the Rieter Morando brand, as a targeted part of our broader decarbonization activities. Keller is entering this next phase with a focused organization, a strengthened technological core, and the clear ambition of helping our customers improve their performance today, while preparing their plants for a lower-carbon future. We believe our role in that journey is more relevant than ever.
