Thyssenkrupp Polysius
A thyssenkrupp industrial engineering company supplying machinery, plants, and lifecycle services primarily for cement, lime, and mining operations.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Thyssenkrupp Polysius is the modern successor to Polysius, a German industrial engineering enterprise whose origins reach back to a locksmith's workshop opened by Gottfried Polysius in Dessau around Easter 1859. The business initially manufactured safes and other metal products, then expanded into drains, vibrating screens, agricultural machinery, grain mills, brewery and distillery equipment, and machinery for the beet-sugar industry. Its long-term specialization developed around crushing, grinding, screening, and processing equipment for the building-materials industries. Cement-plant engineering became the company's central field during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Polysius designed and manufactured one of Europe's early rotary cement kilns in 1898 and later delivered complete cement facilities and associated machinery. The company also became associated with the LEPOL process, developed by Otto Lellep in the late 1920s. The process improved the thermal treatment stage of cement production and reduced fuel consumption compared with earlier kiln arrangements. These developments helped establish Polysius as a technology and plant-engineering supplier rather than merely a machinery manufacturer. After the Second World War, the original Dessau operation was expropriated under the Soviet occupation administration. A western successor was established in Neubeckum in 1946 as Westpol GmbH by Bernd Helming and Curt Prüssing, a member of the Polysius family by marriage. It was renamed Polysius GmbH in 1949. The western company rebuilt the business and expanded internationally; in 1951 it delivered a complete cement plant to Syria. The shift toward increasingly large, integrated plants generated substantial commercial and technological risks, as individual orders became more valuable and required greater capital commitments. To strengthen its financial position, the family owners brought in Fried. Krupp GmbH, which acquired a majority stake in 1971. Polysius was incorporated into Krupp's plant-engineering activities in 1992. Following the 1999 merger of Krupp and Thyssen, the business became part of thyssenkrupp and subsequently operated within the group's technology and industrial-solutions structures. Acquisitions expanded its capabilities in lime-kiln technology and services, including the addition of Maerz AG in Zurich and AC Equipment Corp. in the United States. The company marked its 150th anniversary in 2009. In 2014, thyssenkrupp combined its previously separate Uhde and Resource Technologies plant-engineering businesses into thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions. That structure was reorganized in 2023. Effective May 31, 2023, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions GmbH was divided into thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH and thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH. In September 2023, Polysius was placed, together with thyssenkrupp Uhde, thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde's bearings business, and thyssenkrupp nucera, within thyssenkrupp's Decarbon Technologies segment. The company's current business is centered on the cement industry. It supplies individual machines, complete cement-production plants, modernization projects, and services covering the operating life of industrial facilities. These services include inspections, maintenance, technical support, and original-equipment-manufacturer spare parts. Its portfolio also extends to lime production, including PFR and HPS shaft-kiln systems, and to mining applications such as crushers and screening plants. The reference material describes a network of approximately 4,000 employees, 28 sites worldwide, 20 service offices in 18 countries, and five service centers. Polysius therefore occupies a business-to-business position based on process engineering, plant integration, equipment reliability, and industrial lifecycle support, with increasing strategic relevance from efforts to reduce emissions in cement and other energy-intensive industries.
History
Polysius traces its origins to Dessau, where master locksmith Gottfried Polysius opened a small workshop around Easter 1859. The original business made safes and other metal goods. On May 23, 1870, Polysius formally established G. Polysius iron foundry and engineering factory. It broadened its manufacturing range to include drains, vibrating screens, agricultural machinery, grain mills, brewery and distillery equipment, and machinery serving the beet-sugar industry. The company increasingly concentrated on equipment for crushing and processing raw materials. Its sons Otto and Max Polysius continued the business after Gottfried's death, while cement engineering became progressively more important. Polysius displayed its products at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and designed and built its first European rotary cement kiln in 1898. In 1912, it constructed a cement plant near Nienburg for the Sächsisch-Thüringische Portland-Cement-Fabrik Prüssing & Co. KGaA. During the late 1920s, Otto Lellep developed the LEPOL process, a major improvement to rotary-kiln cement production that reduced fuel requirements and enhanced the burning process. The Second World War and its aftermath divided the company's development. The Dessau works restarted in 1946 but were expropriated by the Soviet administration and later became a state-owned cement-plant construction enterprise. In western Germany, Bernd Helming and Curt Prüssing founded Westpol GmbH in Neubeckum in 1946. The enterprise changed its name to Polysius GmbH in 1949 and rebuilt the company's engineering activities in the west. It supplied its first complete cement plant to Syria in 1951 and expanded its workforce and international business during the following decade. The growing scale of turnkey plants created heavy financial and technical demands. Family owners therefore brought in Fried. Krupp GmbH, which obtained a majority shareholding in 1971. In 1992, Krupp Polysius was incorporated into Krupp's plant-engineering division. The 1999 merger between Krupp and Thyssen placed Polysius inside the newly formed thyssenkrupp group. Subsequent acquisitions strengthened its lime-kiln and service capabilities, including Maerz AG and AC Equipment Corp. The company celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009. In 2014, thyssenkrupp merged Uhde and Resource Technologies into thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, a broader plant-engineering organization serving chemical, refinery, industrial, cement, and related markets. That structure was dissolved in 2023, when Polysius and Uhde became separate companies. In September of that year, Polysius joined thyssenkrupp's Decarbon Technologies segment. Its contemporary activities remain focused on cement plants and machinery, with additional operations in lime and mining and a service network intended to support equipment throughout its operating life.
- 2023
Established as thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH
[1]The dissolution of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions created thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH as a separate company.
- 2023
Added to Decarbon Technologies
[1]Polysius became part of thyssenkrupp's Decarbon Technologies segment.
- 2014
Joined thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions
[1]Thyssenkrupp combined its Uhde and Resource Technologies plant-engineering businesses.
- 1999
Becomes part of thyssenkrupp
[1]The Krupp–Thyssen merger brought Polysius into the thyssenkrupp group.
- 1992
Integrated into Krupp plant engineering
[1]Krupp Polysius was incorporated into Krupp's plant-engineering division.
- 1971
Fried. Krupp GmbH acquires a majority stake
[1]Krupp became the majority shareholder as the scale and capital requirements of plant engineering increased.
- 1951
First complete cement plant delivered to Syria
[1]The delivery demonstrated Polysius's transition toward international turnkey plant engineering.
- 1946
Western successor established in Neubeckum
[1]Westpol GmbH was founded after the postwar separation of the Dessau operation.
- 1920
LEPOL process developed
[1]Otto Lellep developed the LEPOL process, improving cement-kiln burning efficiency and reducing fuel use.
- 1898
First European rotary cement kiln
[1]The company designed and manufactured an early European rotary kiln for cement production.
Products and positioning
A global process-technology and engineering partner for cement, lime, and selected mining customers, combining equipment supply, turnkey plant engineering, modernization, and long-term service support.
Turnkey industrial plants
Cement plants
Polysius designs and supplies complete cement-production facilities, integrating material preparation, grinding, thermal processing, clinker production, and related plant systems. Its turnkey orientation developed from the company's postwar expansion into increasingly large international projects. The offering can include engineering, equipment supply, commissioning support, modernization, and lifecycle services.
Cement-process equipment · 1898
Cement kilns and kiln systems
Rotary kilns and associated thermal-processing systems are central to Polysius's cement technology portfolio. The company has a long history in kiln development, including an early European rotary cement kiln in 1898 and the later LEPOL process. Modern kiln-related work covers equipment supply, plant integration, upgrades, inspections, and maintenance support.
Material-processing machinery
Grinding and crushing equipment
The company's machinery portfolio includes equipment used to crush, grind, and prepare raw materials and other industrial feedstocks. These systems support cement production and related mineral-processing applications and may be supplied as individual machines or as components of larger plants.
Lime-production equipment
PFR and HPS shaft kilns
Polysius supplies PFR and HPS shaft-kiln technologies for lime plants. These systems extend the company's thermal-process engineering capabilities beyond cement into the lime industry, where controlled calcination and reliable continuous operation are key requirements.
Mining equipment
Mining crushers and screening plants
For mining customers, Polysius provides crushing and screening solutions used in the preparation and classification of mineral materials. The mining offering complements its established expertise in size reduction and bulk-material processing.
Industrial services
Plant lifecycle services
Services cover the operating life of cement and related industrial plants. Activities described for the business include inspections, maintenance, technical assistance, modernization support, and the supply of original-equipment-manufacturer spare parts. The service organization is described as having 20 offices in 18 countries and five service centers.
Brand decisions
2023
Separate Polysius from thyssenkrupp Industrial SolutionsStrategyBackground
Thyssenkrupp reorganized its industrial plant-engineering activities into more distinct operating companies.
Action taken
Effective May 31, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions GmbH was reorganized into independent companies including thyssenkrupp Polysius GmbH and thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH.
Aftermath
Polysius resumed a standalone company identity within the thyssenkrupp group.
2023
Place Polysius in Decarbon TechnologiesStrategyBackground
Thyssenkrupp created a segment grouping businesses with relevance to industrial decarbonization and energy-intensive process industries.
Action taken
Polysius was grouped with thyssenkrupp Uhde, the Rothe Erde bearings business, and thyssenkrupp nucera under Decarbon Technologies.
Aftermath
The cement-technology business gained a formal position within thyssenkrupp's decarbonization-oriented portfolio.
2014
Consolidate plant-engineering activities into Industrial SolutionsStrategyBackground
Thyssenkrupp sought to combine related engineering activities serving industrial-process customers.
Action taken
The group merged thyssenkrupp Uhde and thyssenkrupp Resource Technologies into thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions.
Aftermath
Polysius operated within a broader engineering platform until the structure was dissolved in 2023.
1999
Enter the thyssenkrupp groupM&ABackground
Krupp and Thyssen combined in a major German industrial merger.
Action taken
Polysius became part of the newly formed thyssenkrupp group and its technology businesses.
Aftermath
The company continued operating as a specialized cement and mineral-processing engineering business within successive thyssenkrupp structures.
1971
Bring Fried. Krupp GmbH in as majority shareholderM&ABackground
The expansion into large complete plants increased capital needs and exposed the family-owned company to greater technological and commercial risk.
Action taken
The owners accepted Fried. Krupp GmbH as a shareholder, with Krupp acquiring a majority stake.
Aftermath
Polysius gained a stronger corporate and financial base and later became part of Krupp's plant-engineering organization.
Sources1 sources
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