Develops and produces chemicals and process solutions for surface treatment as well as chemical recycling of residual materials.
Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH
Heidelberg · Heidelberg-Wieblingen · Mügeln · Oberhausen · Asperg · Alphen aan den Rijn (NL)New on Amplifa
Process solutions for surface treatment
Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH, headquartered in Heidelberg, is part of Kluthe Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG, a family-owned company founded in 1950 with around 700 employees. The group develops and manufactures chemicals for surface treatment: coolants and forming lubricants, industrial cleaners, corrosion protection agents, pretreatment chemicals as well as process chemicals for metal and plastics painting, complemented by paints, coatings and primers under the Conti Coatings brand. The business activities are divided into the areas Metalworking & Cleaning, Forming & Protection, Pretreatment and Paintshop. Through its subsidiary Rematec GmbH, Kluthe operates chemical recycling, in particular the distillation and regeneration of organic solvents as well as the recovery of waste paints, waste coatings and oils. The group produces at thirteen production sites on 250,000 m² of operational floor space with a production volume of 160,000 tonnes per year and supplies 51 countries. Its main customers are the automotive industry and its suppliers, the construction and agricultural machinery sector, plastic component, can and strip manufacturing as well as the tube and wire industry.
- Site
- Heidelberg
- Processes
- Surface pretreatment (pretreatment) before painting/coating, Metalworking & Cleaning (lubricants, industrial cleaners and corrosion protection for the, Forming & Protection (forming media and corrosion protection products), Paintshop (process chemicals for metal and plastics painting), Cleaning and degreasing of metal surfaces, Cold paint stripping by immersion at room temperature (Controx), Chemical recycling: solvent distillation / regeneration of organic solvents, Manufacture of coolants (water-miscible coolants and non-water-miscible
- Materials
- Metal (general), Plastic (general), Surface pretreatment, Metalworking & Cleaning, Forming & Protection, Paintshop chemicals, Cold paint stripping, Solvent distillation
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 14001:2015, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1950
- Employees
- 700
- Industries
- Automotive industry and suppliers, Construction and agricultural machinery, Plastic components, Can and strip manufacturing (steel/packaging), Tube and wire industry, Painting and decorating trade
- 01
Research and development
- 02
Manufacture of the process chemicals
- 03
Process consulting and application technology
- 04
Logistics for liquid chemicals
- 05
Take-back of residual materials
- 06
Chemical recycling and regeneration
Product areas and processes
Surface pretreatment
Products and processes for the pretreatment of metal and plastic surfaces before painting or coating.
Metalworking & Cleaning
Lubricants, industrial cleaners and corrosion protection for metalworking, incl. water-miscible coolants (Hakuform) and machining oils (Hakufluid).
Forming & Protection
Forming media and corrosion protection products for machining and forming processes.
Paintshop chemicals
Process chemicals and products for metal and plastics painting as well as architectural paints.
Cold paint stripping
Liquid cold paint stripper for air-drying paints and stoving enamels, applicable in immersion at room temperature.
Solvent distillation
Chemical recycling: regeneration of non-halogenated organic solvents, dichloromethane, waste paints, waste coatings, paint coagulates, powder coatings as well as waste and machining oils.
Paints and coatings
Range of primers, interior and façade paints, floor coatings, paints, wood coatings and fillers.
Locations
Heidelberg
DECentral administration / Headquarters
Heidelberg-Wieblingen
DEProduction as well as research and development center for surface pretreatment; recycling plant
- Materials
- Solvents, waste paints, waste coatings, oils
- Recycling plant
Mügeln
DEProduction / recycling plant (solvent distillation), operated by Rematec GmbH
- Materials
- Organic solvents, waste paints, powder coatings, waste oils
- Solvent distillation unit
Oberhausen
DEProduction and central R&D for building protection and architectural paints (Contilack)
Asperg
DEConti Coatings – production of thinners in small containers
- Lot size
- Small containers
Alphen aan den Rijn
NLProduction (Kluthe Benelux BV)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface pretreatment (pretreatment) before painting/coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic |
| Metalworking & Cleaning (lubricants, industrial cleaners and corrosion protection for theSurface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Forming & Protection (forming media and corrosion protection products)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Paintshop (process chemicals for metal and plastics painting)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic |
| Cleaning and degreasing of metal surfacesSurface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Cold paint stripping by immersion at room temperature (Controx)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Chemical recycling: solvent distillation / regeneration of organic solventsSurface | – | – | – | – | Non-halogenated organic solvents, Dichloromethane, Waste paints, Waste coatings, Paint coagulates, Powder coatings, Waste oils, Machining oils |
| Manufacture of coolants (water-miscible coolants and non-water-miscibleSurface | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| Manufacture of paints, coatings and primers (Conti Coatings brand)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic, Wood |
Additional services
Quality and certification
The recycling plants in Mügeln and Heidelberg-Wieblingen are certified to DIN EN ISO 14001:2015. The certified waste management company Eberhard Transport GmbH, in which Kluthe holds a 50 % stake, handles transports of liquid chemicals and chemical waste.
| Evidence | Heidelberg-Wieblingen | Mügeln | Heidelberg | Oberhausen | Asperg | Alphen aan den Rijn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 14001 |
Company history
- 1950
Foundation of 'Kluthe Fabrikation chemisch-technische Erzeugnisse' by Maria and Wilhelm Kluthe; laboratory and production in a garage; first product: paint dissolving and thinning agents.
- 1953
Introduction of Controx, the first liquid cold paint stripper offered in Europe (immersion at room temperature).
- 1954
Purchase of the property on Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße in Heidelberg; installation of a distillation unit for the regeneration of organic solvents.
- 1969
Acquisition of Sahm-Chemie; cornerstone for supplying the paint wholesale and specialist retail trade.
- 1972
Acquisition of the paint factory De Graaff en Baas B.V. in Alphen aan den Rijn (Netherlands).
- 1973
Construction of another plant in Heidelberg-Wieblingen; today the site of the R&D center for surface pretreatment products.
- 1991
Acquisition of the chemical factory Lipsia in Mügeln near Leipzig from the Treuhand.
- 1997
Installation of the first solvent distillation facility in Mügeln; acquisition of Continental Lack- und Farbenwerke in Oberhausen (Contilack brand).
- 1998
Environmental protection award of the Federation of German Industries for the recycling process.
- 2001
Kluthe Benelux BV formed from the Dutch company.
- 2007
Foundation of the subsidiary Rematec GmbH (chemical recycling); expansion by another recycling plant in Heidelberg.
- 2009
Rematec GmbH becomes the lessee of the recycling sites in Mügeln and Heidelberg.
- 2010
Joint venture with the Turkish chemical company Duraner.
- 2012
Foundation of a subsidiary in Brazil.
- 2014
Foundation of a subsidiary in Mexico.
- 2016
New group structure: Kluthe Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG acts as the parent company.
- 2017
Joint venture with the Indian company Zavenir.
- 2019
Foundation of the Canadian subsidiary Kluthe Sustainability Management.