The year 1970 marked the inception of pfaff aqs GmbH, which was set up by Mr. Reinhard Pfaff in Wuppertal. Since its foundation, the company’s business purpose has been reflected in its name: aqs is an acronym standing for automated quality control systems. Initially, its core competence was to develop and manufacture highly specialised transport tube systems for the international cement and metal industry. However, its products were soon recognised as the absolute top of the range in the market and were distributed as far as Asia. In 1981, a complete pfaff automated laboratory was installed at a cement works in Jidong, China. Constantly expanding its core competence, pfaff aqs started focussing on the metal and cement market and launched its first laboratory automation solutions for the metallurgical industry in 1987. One year later, the company introduced its first automatic slag preparation unit. The turn of the millennium brought with it considerable restructuring: pfaff aqs, which had operated as an independent enterprise for over three decades, was incorporated into the international FLSmidth Group in Denmark. Pfaff aqs has more than 110 highly qualified members of staff on its payroll.
Following the changing demands of the global market and ongoing tech-nological progress, pfaff aqs’ core business has naturally been modified in the course of the years. “Today, we specialise in the development of fully automated sampling, sample analysis and complete laboratory systems, which generate the lion’s share of our turnover,” as Mr. Reinhard Kamphoff, Sales Director at pfaff aqs, tells us in our interview. “The remainder is grossed by laboratory automation systems for the metallurgical industry, which are used for the analysis of liquid metal.”
The systems developed by pfaff aqs are deployed in four industrial sectors: the cement industry, the metal industry, the mineral industry and the chemical industry. In each segment pfaff aqs is constantly striving to fulfil and exceed its customers’ demands on quality. It provides a wealth of compact, high-performance, low-maintenance systems for every stage of the testing process chain, from taking samples through sample transport to sample analysis. Based on a modular construction, the systems can be easily fitted with customer-specific components; the company also develops and installs complete laboratory automation systems. Such systems are used in a wide range of sampling, sample transport, sample preparation and sample analysis applications, ensuring high efficiency, precision and economy at all times. All business transactions are carried out in accordance with the values of mutual respect, close collaboration, a strong sense of responsibility and proactive initiative, which are underlying factors of the enterprise’s business philosophy. “By taking and analysing samples, we help steer production processes, increase overall efficiency, and provide thorough quality control,” explains Ms. Kirsten Halbach, who is responsible for marketing, content management and sales.
“By implementing our applications, the energy consumption and environmental impact of cement production, for example, can be considerably reduced,” continues Ms. Halbach. The list of sampling equipment includes airslide, clinker, hammer, hot-meal, piston, and sludge samplers, to name but a few. The samples are transported within the plant by means of automated and manual sending stations and carriers, which are then prepared for analysis by crushers, manual and automated vibration discs and pelleting presses.
A flagship product for sample analysis and laboratory automation in the metal industry is the fully automatic NUCLEUS metal sample analysis system. Consisting of a milling machine, a handling robot and an OE-spectrometer, the NUCLEUS system can be supplied as a laboratory installation or in a robust steel container for immediate, on-site analysis. The container includes all the necessary equipment to ensure optimum analysis in a steel or aluminium plant.
The mineral industry offers considerable growth potential for the dynamic automation developer. “It is our aim to expand further by introducing tailor-made systems and strengthening the grey stock application segment,” says Ms. Halbach. The latest novelty for the mineral industry, the CENTAURUS all-in-one fully automated mill and press unit for sample pre-paration for XRF and XRD X-ray analysis, was introduced in May 2008. This advanced machine is used for creating test material tablets made from grainy materials such as cement, ore, slag, earth samples, raw meal, clinker etc. for XRF and XRD X-ray analysis.
As a subsidiary of the FLSmidth Group, pfaff aqs is part of a global engineering corporation and benefits from its parent company’s presence as the leading supplier of machines and technology for the global cement and minerals industries. “In terms of marketing, we collaborate closely with the FLSmidth Group,” stresses Ms. Halbach. “Moreover, we keep prospective and existing customers up-to-date by issuing product brochures and providing in depth information on our website at www.pfaff-aqs.com. When a new product is launched, we create a sophisticated marketing campaign to present it to the industry.” In addition, novelties are unveiled at trade exhibitions worldwide, including Bangkok, Miami, and St. Petersburg. Through a tightly knit network of dedicated cooperation partners in key locations worldwide, pfaff aqs is well re-presented in the market. “We are a true global player, with as much as 97% of our turnover being generated through export,” stresses Mr. Kamphoff. Sixty percent of the export activities take place outside the European Union, with India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Africa, the USA, and Australia being the most important overseas markets. The majority of customers, namely 90%, are large international enterprises. pfaff aqs is prominently positioned in Russia, where it collaborates with the four of the largest steel works in the country, and supplies one of the largest steel works in China.
pfaff aqs GmbH
Lenneper Strasse 23-25
42289 Wuppertal
Germany