Xella

Xella International GmbH is a group of companies based in Duisburg - Huckingen that produces construction and raw materials and markets.

Business

In the three business units, building materials, drywall systems and lime produced Xella aerated concrete and calcium-silicate, gypsum fiber boards, as well as lime and limestone. The company is present in more than 30 countries and outside Europe plants in Russia, China and Mexico.

Xella Group achieved in 2012 with approximately 6,900 employees and generated sales of 1.3 billion euros.

Owner of Xella is the Luxembourg holding company Xella International Holdings S.à.rl, which since September 2008 by the two private equity firms PAI partners (France) and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners (USA) will be jointly controlled.

Major subsidiaries and participations

• 61.5 % construction materials plants Rhine -Ruhr
• 51% Xella KS factory Griedel
• 50 % KS Baustoffwerke Blatzheim
• 28 % KS- element stone work Wendeburg Radmacher GmbH & Co. KG
• 24.13 % Baustoffwerke Münster -Osnabrück GmbH & Co. KG ( BMO ), which in turn holds 67 % stake in the KS Westfalen -Lippe

History

Xella emerged as a name change from the Haniel Bau-Industrie, which existed since the 1940s and produced from 1948 sand-lime bricks. Still under the name Haniel Bau-Industrie acquired the company in the years 2000 to 2002, the Goslar - rock, the lever and the Ytong works. 2002 the first steps were made in China as well as the name change to Xella building materials. In 2003, the company presented at the Munich trade fair BAU under a new name. In the same year, the separation was carried out by the participation in the North German Natural Stone GmbH ( NNG) in Flechtingen, which was since 2005 a subsidiary of basalt Actien Society.

Xella then joined numerous cellular concrete works, all former lever works. Several hundred jobs were lost.

Since 2003, Xella maintains in East Germany its own research and development company with two locations - one in Emstal at Lehnin monastery, the other in bridge at Bad Belzig. Here engineers work in three disciplines: applied research / physics, process technology and product and process research. In 2006 the company was Halfen (fixing systems ) sold headquartered in Langenfeld. In the years 2007 and 2008 there was a further international expansion in Eastern Europe, China and Russia.

2008 Xella was sold by Haniel to PAI partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. In the years 2009 and 2010 Xella Ytong opened new plants in Romania and China, and a lime plant in Russia.

In April 2011, Xella moved into the new headquarters in Duisburg- Huckingen. On 11 May 2012, the building of the Xella headquarters in Axel Eriksson house was baptized. Axel Eriksson, Swedish architect and researcher had in 1923 invented the aerated concrete.

In March 2012, failed to take over the majority of shares in Danish H H International A / S, based in Copenhagen. The Bundeskartellamt prohibited the takeover, as this has given rise to the emergence of a dominant position on the market for Xella aerated concrete and lightweight concrete blocks on the North German and the West German regional market.

Brands

The business unit Xella building materials includes the international building material activities of Ytong and Siporex aerated concrete, Silka calcium silicate blocks and Hebel aerated concrete for residential construction. With the business unit drywall systems are available with fermacell gypsum fiber boards and fermacell flooring elements systems for the dry interior construction of walls, ceilings and floors are available. Fermacell Aestuver is a well known brand in the structural fire protection and also offers a wide range of products for penetration seals, fire protection coatings and fire protection joints. Produce Fels-Werke and refine lime and limestone. The products are used in various industrial applications for the production of building materials, the manufacture of steel, in the flue gas desulphurization and in environmental protection.

Fermacell Logo

Lever logo

Multipor logo

Silka logo

Ytong logo

Sponsoring

From 2006 to 2008, Xella was the shirt sponsor of Bundesliga club MSV Duisburg.

Student Competition

With the first awarded in 2004 Xella student competition, the company takes over the 18 -year tradition of lever - student competitions and leads them under a new name on.

The Xella student competition 2013/2014 will be held with the Department of Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape Planning of the University of Kassel in cooperation. Task is the planning of a documenta archive at Karlsplatz in the center of Kassel.

Criticism

Haniel Bau-Industrie (since 2002 Xella ) has 1987-1996 produced inferior sand-lime bricks in three plants and these sold until early 1997. The sand-lime bricks were produced using a Kalksubstituts from flue gas desulphurisation. It can cause cracks or deformations occur when the permanent damp sand-lime bricks are exposed.

In a report of the Association of limestone Industry from 1987 concerns about the durability of the stones were raised. According Xella but there was no danger for the residents. Experts have confirmed that nothing would collapse.

However, a criminal prosecution of those responsible can not be excluded according to the magazine Stern. Said the star number of 45,000 houses and the loss amount between 2.5 and 4.5 billion euros will not confirm Xella so far. A quantification of affected buildings is not possible due to non-transparent distribution channels. Possibly via residues on the storage spaces or in builders' merchants in 1996 or early 1997, still affected stones have been installed. The peak period was from 1991 to 1993.

So far, 382 cases were confirmed by Xella, which are 160 homes have already been renovated by Xella. The economic damage that the company Haniel bears, lie so far of 28 million euros. For possible further claims payments, the Haniel Group has increased its reserves to 63 million euros. In the majority of affected houses are detached or semi-detached. Xella has published an overview of the regions concerned on 8 December 2011. Affected thereafter are mainly Duisburg and surroundings, but also Dusseldorf, Krefeld and Moers. Overall, the damage corridor from the Dutch border reaches into the forested mountains.