With its new marketing platform Shenzhen K+S Trading Co. Ltd the K+S Group has created a solid basis for its subsidiaries K+S KALI GmbH, COMPO and fertiva in China. The marketing platform, with its head office in Shenzhen, has been operating since 1 January 2008.
The Regional Commission in Kassel has approved plans to construct a waste-fuelled power station at the Wintershall location in Heringen, to be built by the BKB AG, Helmstedt. This is an important contribution to strengthening the potash industry, along with 4,200 jobs in the Werra and Ulster areas. The economically and environmentally friendly energy produced by the new plant is intended to uncouple potash production in Heringen from the increasing prices for natural gas, at the same time making a contribution to preserving valuable fossil fuels.
The potash mine Neuhof-Zellers celebrates its 100th birthday after the shaft sinking started at the Neuhof pit in 1906. The mine, which had been temporarily closed, was entirely rebuilt and was recommissioned in 1954. Due to its particularly rich potash deposits this southernmost location of K+S KALI GmbH today takes on a very important role for the production of natural magnesium and sulphur containing fertilisers. K+S is the world’s leading manufacturer of these products, which are mainly used to supply very demanding agricultural crops.
The Mine Adventure - Merkers has shown an impressive improvement for 2004. Compared to 2003, visitor numbers have risen by 9%. In September alone a total of 9,322 underground tours broke the visitors’ record. With more than 76,500 guests per year this popular attraction between Bad Salzungen and Bad Hersfeld, drew the largest number of visitors since the record year of 2000. That year nearly 79,000 “temporary miners” visited this world of the White Gold.
K+S has acquired the distribution and production capacities of the French SCPA, Mulhouse. With this acquisition, K+S has also assumed customer pools and branch rights of the SCPA, from the state-controlled company EMC, as well as SCPA’s shares in four regional fertiliser producers. The companies and locations acquired, with an employee pool of approximately 100, will fuse with the “Kali and Salz France” S.A.R.L. as K+S Kali & SCPA France S.A.S. and will be affiliated with the K+S Group as a 100% subsidiary.
The Sylvinite-Mining Association has been formed at the Werra-works. By integrating the sylvinite-mining at the Unterbreizbach-mine into the Hattorf/Wintershall mining operation, competiveness of the K+S works Werra is noticeably strengthened. The Werra works already contribute more than 40% to the total production of K+S KALI GmbH,. In less than two years after the ratification of the state-contract between Thuringia and Hesse, K+S has completed the 40 m € project. From 2005 on, this project is expected to increase turnover by up to 20 m €.
esco forms a new distribution company in Sweden. The new company will be named esco Nordic AB and will operate from Göteborg. esco supplies the Swedish market with deicing salt, commercial and industrial salt. There is a potash division of the distribution company which will market potassium and magnesium containing products for industrial applications.
After just 16 months of construction, a new social building for the Neuhof-Ellers-works of K+S Kali GmbH has been opened . In addition to new changing rooms for 400 staff the new building also provides room for the works council. K+S KALI GmbH has invested approximately 2 million € into the project.
The Zielitz potash works in Saxony-Anhalt celebrates its 30th anniversary of production. In Merkers (Wartburg district) a new Information and Visitors’ Centre is opened. This new building, which cost 1.7 m €, will enhance the visitors’ experience during their time at the Merkers mine.
After approval of a modified state contract between Hesse and Thuringia in December the direction of the “Sylvinite-project” is clear and excavations have already begun. From January 2005 on, an additional annual volume of 1.5 m tons of sylvinite is expected to be mined in the south-eastern mining-field of Unterbreizbach.
With the entry registration into the company's register in ..... K+S KALI GmbH starts operating. By means of a legal company structure adjustment two 100% K+S subsidiary companies have emerged from Kali und Salz GmbH. The K+S KALI GmbH an the K+S Salz GmbH. The sphere of operations are concentrated in independent companies.
The Kieserite production facility is opened at the Sigmundshall site.
The Werra potash plant celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The foundation stone is laid for a Kieserite production facility at the Sigmundshall site. This adds an important fertiliser speciality to the product range from 2001 onwards.
Kali und Salz Beteiligungs AG purchases 49% of the share capital of Kali und Salz GmbH still owned by the BVS (Federal Office for Reunification-Related Special Tasks), which is the successor to the THA privatisation agency in former East Germany. This successfully concludes the privatisation of the East German potash industry.
Centenary of the Sigmundshall potash plant, while Germany's youngest potash plant in Zielitz celebrates 25 years of operation.
Collective pay scales in Eastern Germany are adjusted to the levels in the old federal states.
Amalgamation of the Hattorf, Wintershall, Unterbreizbach and Merkers sites to form the Werra main plant.
The interstate agreement between Hesse and Thuringia on trans-border extraction of crude potash salt on the River Werra comes into force, and development of the new mining concessions in Thuringia begins.
A new hot leach factory for the production of industrial potash commences operations in Zielitz.
The Merkers Mine Adventure Museum celebrates its fifth birthday. More than 250,000 people visited the former potash mine during this period.
The former Kali und Salz AG changes its name to Kali und Salz Beteiligungs AG.
Following the reunification of the two German states, Mitteldeutsche Kali AG (MDK) and the potash and salt activities of Kali und Salz AG are merged to form Kali und Salz GmbH.
The decline in the demand for potash, which has prevailed for many years, forces the closure of uneconomic production sites and, as a consequence, a reduction in the number of employees.
Opening of the Merkers Mine Adventure Museum.
Commencement of Kornkali production in Unterbreizbach.
Establishment of Mitteldeutsche Kali AG from the Potash Collective
Potash production with the ESTA process
Commencement of electrostatic crude salt separation. The ESTA process makes the dry separation of crude salt possible for the first time, resulting in a dramatic reduction in liquid residues
Reorganisation of the potash industry.
In West Germany, the potash activities of Wintershall AG and Salzdetfurth AG are merged to form Kali und Salz GmbH (from 1971: AG).
In the GDR, the entire potash industry is brought into the newly established Potash Combinate, with registered office in Sondershausen.
The end of scraping, chains and creepers and ropeways. Special equipment achieves a final breakthrough in the extraction field, and rail-less conveyance with front-end loaders is introduced.
First granulated potash product for better handling of fertilisers
Commissioning of the first flotation plant.
Flotation makes the separation of crude salt without the use of heat possible, resulting in a considerable saving of energy.
Start of production in the Merkers plant
As a result of difficult market conditions for standard potash products, plant is developed for the production of special products such as bromine, sodium sulphate and Epsom Salts.
After 60 years, the German potash industry loses its world monopoly with the cession of Alsace and the mines located there to France, following the First World War.
Extraction during the first few decades is mainly by hand. Only the further transportation to the shaft is carried out by ropeway machines.
"Bohrgesellschaft Wintershall", which changed its name in 1929 to Wintershall AG, is founded in Bochum.
Potash is discovered for the first time south of the Harz mountains at the beginning of the 1890's. Since investment in potash mines is regarded as extremely lucrative, a regular "potash fever" breaks out in the region.
Formation of "Aktiengesellschaft für Bergbau und Tiefbohrung" in Goslar, from which Salzdetfurth AG, the oldest forerunner of the present K+S Aktiengesellschaft, later emerged.
Following the opening of the rock salt mine in Stassfurt, work begins on developing the potash deposits, which were found by accident during the search for rock salt. Lively drilling and prospecting for potash also starts in other parts of Germany. The German potash industry is born.
"How did salt get into the ground?"
A number of attempts have been made to explain this scientifically, the most probable of which is the so-called bar theory expounded by the geologist, Ochsenius.
Briefly, this is as follows:
The same as other regions, most of Central Europe was covered by an inland sea more than 250 million years ago, during the Zechstein period, which was largely cut off from the open sea by shallow straits, known as bars. Since a desert-like climate predominated in our latitudes at that time, the intensive solar radiation evaporated the water, like in a gigantic evaporating pan.
The salinity of the body of water increased until the dissolved minerals (carbonates, sulphates and chlorides) crystallized out and formed layers of potassic minerals. This led to the development of vast deposits, some of which are several hundred meters thick, which were covered later during the further geological developments by impermeable layers and thus protected from being dissolved again. As a result, we have a natural product at our disposal today that was created from pure sea water by the heat of the sun at a time when there was no pollution.
