thyssenkrupp Polysius history | thyssenkrupp Polysius

thyssenkrupp Polysius through time

Polysius

The Beginnings

1859

Gottfried Polysius’ locksmith shop commenced operations in Dessau. He started with the assistance of just one apprentice. As business picked up quickly, Polysius increased his workforce up to 15 workers within the first year.The company soon developed from a craftsman's workshop into a fully-fledged factory. Gottfried Polysius purchased another property, Salzgasse No. 9, later that year. His new workshops offered space for around 50 workers. At the same time he established a large ironmongery in the building adjoining the street, which opened in 1860.

1860s

On November 27th 1863 Gottfried Otto Polysius, the first son of Gottfried Polysius, was born.Two years later on June 11th the company was entered in the register of companies of the town of Dessau.In the upcoming years Polysius almost totally stopped doing simple metalworking jobs. The amount of work performed by his factory had meanwhile increased to the point where he had to employ a works manager. The factory now not only produced strongboxes, but also such machines as pumps, horse-capstans and simple agricultural equipment. The first export of the company took place in 1868 to Erfurt in Prussia.

1870s

On March 19th 1870 Max Polysius, the second son, was born.Also in 1870 a second factory was built on the Geisthof, and the company now employs around 64 people. In the same year, Polysius acquires the iron foundry and machine factory from his longtime friend Gottlieb Beckmann.The company is entered in the commercial register of the city of Dessau on May 23rd, 1870 under the name "G. Polysius Eisengießerei und Maschinenfabrik". In 1871 Polysius entered the production of equipment and machinery for sugar refineries, which later became the company's main business. However, Polysius continued to be known for its incredible versatility in product range.

Polysius

The Second Generation

1886

On April 21st, Gottfried Polysius died as a result of a stroke. The factory passes on to his eldest son Otto Polysius alone, as his second son Max is still a minor.At the age of 23, Otto abondons his studies with a heavy heart and takes over the management of his father's company. Since there was less and less money to be made with molasses, Otto looked around for alternatives to the production of sugar refineries. He laid the foundation for entering the production of equipment for cement plants and thus for entering the cement industry.

1893

World Exposition in Chicago: The company was introduced to a broad international audience of industry professionals and trade visitors. Max Polysius, although just 23 years old, bore the overall responsibility for the Polysius booth. The participation at the World Exposition gave Polysius access to totally new business relationships on the international market, including North and South America, Japan, China and the former Dutch East Indies.While the World Exposition was taking place across the Atlantic, Otto Polysius engaged in a cooperative undertaking with Krupp in Essen for an American tender invitation for an ordnance factory. Polysius was to act as sub supplier for steam engines and transmissions. In the course of the following decades, Polysius repeatedly had temporary cooperation contracts with Krupp.

1896

At the age of 26, Max Polysius joined the company management team. At the same time, the legal form of the company was changed to a general partnership. Through this step the brothers documented that they had no need for outside capital or shareholders.

1898

For reasons of space, as large units could not be manufactured in the existing factory premises, in 1898 new factory premises were purchased in the Brauereistraße about 800 m from the old plant. Two years later the Neue Werk (New Plant) was completed.In the same year, the first Polysius rotary kiln was built in Europe.

1928

On 1st July 1928, the legal form of the company was changed to a joint stock company. The shares were all held by members of the family.

Otto and Max Polysius both hold seats on the Supervisory Board. The third generation of Polysius men now forms the company's Board of Management. With his threes sons Gustav, Otto II and Walter, Otto Polysius' family is strongly represented. They were joined by Gottfried Karl, Max Polysius' only son.

Polysius AG

1930s

The steady growth in the amount of construction work taking place in the pre-war years was reflected in an increasing demand of building material – and ultimately in a need for cement factories. This growth came to an abrupt stop with the start of the Second World War as the number of employees decreased and production declined.Due to the change of the company's legal form there were a lot of changes in the membership of the G. Polysius AG management as people form outside the family were able to become members of the executive and supervisory board. In 1937 Dr. Bruno Bruhn and the lawyer Dr. Eschstruth as well as in 1938 the widow of Max Polysius, Aurelie, and the lawyer Dr. Ernst Kämmerer of Hannover, were elected onto the supervisory board.

1945

On 7th March, 1945 English bomber squadrons destroyed the town of Dessau and the Polysius AG company buildings were largely razed to the ground. Two month later the G. Polysius AG was the first company in Dessau to receive the Allied military government's permission to resume activities.

1946

After the Russians took over the occupation from the Americans, the legal form of the company was altered to that of a Sovjet joint stock company (SAG) in 1946.

The Polysius company came through the Fascist years under the management of the third generation. This consisted of Otto’s and Max's son, and Max’s son-in-law Dr. Alexander Hasselbach. After the death of Dr. Otto Polysius, Gustav Polysius became managing director and was in charge of the company until his tragic death in 1947. Walter Polysius had already died in 1931.

New Start in Neubeckum

Westpol GmbH and Polysius GmbH

1946

With the consent of Gustav Polysius and the other shareholders of the old G. Polysius AG, Dr. Curt Prüssing had taken the initiative and had founded the Westpol GmbH in Neubeckum. The company became the vehicle for rebuilding the Polysius business in the West.The building of the new office was designed in such a way that the office facilities could be easily converted into apartments should the young company fail. The first major order for the office in Neubeckum was from the cement factory in Rohrdorf which ordered a Lepol kiln. Payment was made in the form of high-quality timber.

1949

Bernd Helming joined Dr. Curt Prüssing in the company management. The interim name Westpol GmbH was changed on 25th February to Polysius GmbH.

1951

The first complete cement plant was delivered to Syria. Within the next six years eight new factories or factory extensions were to follow. Furthermore, the Polysius office building at Graf-Galen-Straße 17 was constructed. Building work for a test plant facility commenced in March. The good name of Polysius regained its old renown and re-established itself step by step on the world market.

1971

In order to remain competitive, the company had to install bigger and bigger units. As the value of each individual order rose but the number of orders awarded worldwide continuously decreased. Furthermore, the demand for complete plants tied-up capital to a hitherto unknown extent and involved a large number of technological and commercial risks.

It became obvious to the owners of Polysius that sooner or later the demands imposed on the financial liquidity of the company would exceed the capabilities of a family-owned enterprise. There was only one solution for the Polysius family: a cooperation with a strong partner! The owners of Polysius brought in the Fried. Krupp GmbH in Essen as a shareholder. In 1971 they took over the majority of the capital.

Krupp Polysius AG

"The cooperation with Fried. Krupp GmbH means a strengthening of our position on the world market and contributes to the further successful development of our company."

1985

Market launch of the Polycom® mill. The high-pressure grinding roll, a cooperative development of Prof. Dr. K. Schönert und Polysius, utilises the principle of pressure comminution in a highly compressed bed of material. A remarkable total of 200 HPGRs were subsequently sold by 1997.

1990s

In 1992 the company was incorporated into the Krupp plant engineering division, as part of the group structure of Fried. Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp.

Another important milestone was set in 1999, when Fried. Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp merged with the Thyssen Group to form ThyssenKrupp AG, placing Polysius in an even stronger position to master the challenges of the future.

2008

At the start of the new millennium another mainstay, Service, was built up in the company’s business structure. In 2008 the first service center opened its doors in Peru.

2009

Celebrating 150 Years - Engineering made by Polysius.

Furthermore, CemCAT, the specialist for SCR for the cement industry, was founded.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions

2018

Every year more than four billion tons of cement are produced worldwide. In 2018 thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions launched the green technology solutions. With the vision of the green cement plant thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions turns conventional into greener and more sustainable cement plants. #grey2green

2020

Another achievement marks the launch of the Digital and AI solutions.

In addition, the devision into standalone business units with end-to-end responsibility - CEM and MIN - took place.

2021

Completion of the largest cement plant in our company history YAMAMA.

2022

Back to the roots - Renaming of Business Unit Cement Technologies to Business Unit Polysius.

thyssenkrupp Decarbon Technologies

2023

Thyssenkrupp establishes a new green segment: Decarbon Technologies with key technologies for the energy transition. The segment is made up of the companies thyssenkrupp rothe erde, thyssenkrupp nucera, thyssenkrupp Uhde and thyssenkrupp Polysius.

Andreas Ernst Gottfried Polysius, born on November 17, 1827 in Klein-Kühnau, son of a shepherd, initially followed in his father's footsteps but was quite dissatisfied with his assigned vocation. Upon reaching the age of majority (21 years), he started an apprenticeship as a locksmith and metalworker.

After completing his apprenticeship, Polysius traveled extensively across Europe including France, England, Austria and Italy. He also worked in France for a while, which is why he spoke not only German and English but also French.

In the spring of 1859 he passed his master's examination for the master craftsman certificate: master locksmith and metalworker in Dessau. Shortly thereafter Gottfried Polysius’ locksmith shop commenced operations in Dessau.