Innovation ecosystem Maschinenraum welcomes Lhoist Germany as a new member

Wülfrath / Berlin

Lhoist Germany, market leader for products made of lime, limestone and minerals, becomes part of Maschinenraums. The alliance of around 60 SMEs as well as university partners and other innovators is working together on the digital transformation of German SMEs. Lhoist wants to use the exchange with other members of the Engine Room to share ideas on how to deal with current and future challenges - including sustainability, recruiting and digitalization.

Lhoist Germany (Rheinkalk GmbH), as part of the Lhoist Group based in Belgium, has been active in the lime- and limestone industry for over 120 years as a medium-sized company. The company operates 13 sites in Germany with its approximately 1,200 employees, with headquarters in Wülfrath, North Rhine-Westphalia. Here, Lhoist Germany also operates the largest lime plant in Europe.

Lime as a basic material for building the future

"What many people are not aware of is that there is no substitute for lime as a basic material and chemical component - whether for iron and steel production, agriculture and forestry, the construction industry or the purification process for drinking water. What cannot be avoided in our processes and unfortunately can only be reduced to a limited extent is the generation of CO₂. And that is precisely why our goal is to give something back to the environment elsewhere - and become the first climate-neutral lime manufacturer. Since the issue of sustainability concerns us all, I'm very much looking forward to exchanging ideas with the other members of the engine room. Together, we can do it - and do it better and faster than each of us could individually," says Thomas Perterer, Managing Director of Lhoist Germany. 

"Next to digitalization, the topic of sustainability is the second biggest challenge facing industry. At the same time, SMEs already stand for sustainability like hardly any other companies - on an economic and social, but above all on an ecological level. In the engine room, we see companies that are already pioneers when it comes to sustainability. And Lhoist, too, can certainly become a role model for others here. The key to success here is dialog, sharing experiences and solutions," says Tobias Rappers, Managing Director of Maschinenraum.

About Maschinenraum:

Maschinenraum, a shared innovation ecosystem from SMEs for SMEs, unites German Mittelstand and family businesses to boldly shape the future. Already around 60 family-owned companies - including Viessmann, Fiege Logistik, Jägermeister and STIHL - have joined Maschinenraum to jointly drive the digital and sustainable transformation of SMEs.

About Lhoist Germany:

Lhoist Germany is the German subsidiary of the Lhoist Group, the world's largest producer of lime and limestone producer with headquarters in Belgium. Rheinkalk GmbH, with its 13 sites and around 1,200 employees in Germany, has belonged to Lhoist Germany since 1999. The company produces high-quality lime products for a wide range of applications in industry, the environmental and construction sectors, water management, and agriculture and forestry. Lhoist Germany works with state-of-the-art mining and production technologies and implements extensive recultivation as well as nature conservation and environmental protection measures.