QUALITY IN DIVERSITY

WE, EMZ WERKE MANDERFELD, HAVE BEEN STRATEGICALLY FOCUSED ON METAL, ENERGY AND WOOD FIBER FOR A DECADE:

The site in the Merlscheid/Manderfeld industrial zone, which has always been focused on metal processing, has a long and eventful tradition, even though the name “Eifeler Metall- und Zinkwerke”(EMZ for short) has only been known in the East Belgian market for the last ten years. In September 2013, the galvanizing plant and grating production facility, (which previously operated under the nationally renowned name Staco AG for more than five decades), was taken over by the Haas family. IEMZ was represented by the siblings Ingrid, Thomas, Norbert and Josef.

With a proven track record of many years, the entrepreneurial family has been operating with a high degree of professional creativity, entrepreneurial vision and technological expertise. The company has been active in various regional industrial segments (primarily in the wood and energy sectors). Within a short space of time, these entrepreneurs have been able to create a stable, future-oriented vision for the traditional company, a vision which is closely aligned with the demands and expectations of the market. The company now has not only a new, more descriptive company name, but more importantly, a more strategic and adaptable vision that allows for greater diversification. Management initially relied on the experience and skill the operation had gained in the grating production sector in order to continue to meet the exacting demands of an international clientele. This clientele has been growing steadily since the early 1960s.

WE RELY ON THE MOTIVATION OF ABOUT SEVENTY COMMITTED EMPLOYEES

Furthermore, a market- and customer-oriented focus in the EMZ product range under new, innovative management soon turned to the production of machinery and plants. They installed state-of-the-art equipment. Expert staff are continuously trained and do not shy away from ongoing technological innovation. They approach every challenge with professionalism and superior craftsmanship, no matter how unconventional the task at hand may be. The exacting approach that is applied to the mechanical production processes in our numerous newly-built production halls, also applies to the planning and support work carried out by EMZ’s in-house construction design department. The production plant now covers twelve thousand square meters of production space. It is becoming increasingly important at EMZ due to the constantly expanding complexity of the company’s activities. The construction design department develops and realizes tailor-made solutions for products, or projects, together with our customers. Meanwhile, the site has been expanded to include a plant for wood fiber production. Sales are brisk, as there is considerable demand in the international market for soil and substrates, as a much-needed substitute for peat. It reduces our ecological footprint, protects our natural environment and lessens the impact on climate change. A thermal-mechanical preparation process, developed in-house, is used to convert certified wood chips (sawdust), with timber sourced from regional forests, into a structural fiber product. Last but not least, investments have been made in energy conversion and upgrading, enabling the entire plant at the eight-hectare site now operates self-sufficiently. It means that, thanks to a biomass co-generation plant, electricity and heat are produced on-site. The heat is used not only for heating but also for drying wood products and the production of wood fibers. Currently, around seventy motivated employees see themselves as integral to the day-to-day running of the facility. They are responsible for the technical and organizational input. They all work to produce high-quality products for an increasingly diversified market. Our steady structural, material and human expansion is ongoing. Our efforts have been rewarded with the East Belgian Business Award (better known as OSTKar) in the “Large Companies” category (more than fifty employees). Conclusion: EMZ Werke Manderfeld AG, under the management of Ingrid Haas, considers itself a competent and reliable partner for all matters relating to the complicated and multidimensional requirements in today’s metal, energy and wood fiber sectors.