Company

Innovation by tradition

Over the last 160 years, we have introduced many technologies now considered standard at cement plants. We are proud of this history, but are not constrained by it. Driven always to improve, we strive to make cement manufacturing as efficient, productive, and sustainable as possible. We push the boundaries of innovation with an expanding range of solutions to meet the challenges of today – and tomorrow. In doing so, we stay true to our motto: a little better, every day.

Who we are

We supply equipment, components and complete plants for the production of cement. In addition, we support our customers around the world with customized services for the analysis, optimization and development of their existing plants.


We hold three things as particularly important: individual service; genuine partnerships; and responsibility for the world in which we live.


As a traditional company with roots in the German Rhineland, reliability is a fundamental part of our identity. First and foremost, this means our products and services deliver the performance expected of them. But it goes beyond this, as we aim to be a trusted partner to every customer and in our involvement in the wider cement community.

We bring this ethos to everything we do. Our expertise lies in serving the individual requirements of our customers. This is why we continue to focus on tailor-made solutions. Indeed, many of our inventions have been born out of our customers’ needs and our efforts to solve our customers’ problems before they arise.

How we work

As a global company, we serve many stakeholders. Our customers always come first. At the same time, we must not forget the environment, and the many, regionally‑specific regulations that have been enacted to protect it. These diverse stakeholder groups might appear to have conflicting demands. But not for us.


We deliver value to all through our Number One focus: service. This means we are always working to find the best solutions for our customers. This drives our innovation and – in the process – we are developing more environmentally-sustainable products. This satisfies our customers, helps protects the environment and, as a result, keeps all our stakeholders happy.

ISO Certification

All KHD group locations are certified according to ISO 9001. This joint, global certificate guarantees that we meet the highest quality standards at all our worldwide locations.

Our vision

Anyone who knows where we come from can imagine where we want to go. When KHD was founded in Cologne in 1856, the city’s cathedral was still missing its impressive spire. Today, Cologne’s landmark is one of the most famous buildings in the world.


Nevertheless, the cathedral is never finished; new work is constantly being carried out. Like the cathedral, KHD has evolved – and undergone one or two restorations – over the past two centuries. But we have also accumulated great treasure during this time: not in gold, but in experience.


Drawing on that experience, we are now setting a path for the next two centuries. Since 2011, we have been working with our strategic partner, AVIC Beijing Co. Ltd, to deliver expert leadership, excellent customer service and innovative clean solutions. These three pillars support our overarching aim to enable cement manufacturers to work more profitably, productively, efficiently – and ultimately, more sustainably.

Our Leadership

Management Board

Mr. Shen has almost 30 years of experience in design, marketing, project execution as well as management in the cement industry. He has worked as process design engineer, marketing manager, project manager, head of marketing, Vice President and President of Sinoma Engineering and Equipment Corporation Ltd. Since he joined AVIC Beijing in 2018 he has taken a leading position in AVIC’s Cement Business and also worked as KHD Beijing’s General Manager. Mr. Shen holds a bachelor degree in cement process from the Wuhan University of Technology.

Mr. Luckas has worked for KHD as Vice President of the Program Management Office (PMO), Vice President Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), and as Vice President Global Internal Audit (GIA). He has a strong understanding of KHD’s processes, the project business and, of course, KHD’s business model. Before joining KHD in 2006, he worked as Senior Manager for one of the big four accounting firms. He holds a degree in economics from the Saarland University of Saarbrücken, Germany.

Matthias Jochem has more than 30 years experience in plant engineering for large thermal power plants and cement production plants. He has served for various OEM’s as process engineer, head of engineering, head of project execution and SVP sales & proposals as well as in management board functions with responsibilities for sales, R&D and commercial. His international experience is with projects in the European Union, Eastern Europe, India and Iran. He was already employed by KHD Humboldt Wedag GmbH from 2003 to 2008 as Director Sales and Management Board member. Matthias Jochem holds a PhD degree in mechanical engineering / heat transfer from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany.

Mr. Mersmann holds a Dipl.-Ing.-degree of the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH), Germany and has more than 25 years experience in the cement industry. Throughout these years he has always been intensively working on technical innovation and optimization of machines and processes for the production of cement. Starting his business career as a pyro-process engineer with KHD in 1994, he then took on several management positions within KHD which gave him profound insight into all aspects of equipment engineering. 2008 he left KHD to found aixergee GmbH, an independent consultancy serving the international cement industry, which he directed till 2020. From 2010 till 2018 he was called into the executive committee of Loesche GmbH as its technical Director. Returning back to KHD in 2020, Mr. Mersmann is responsible for R&D, innovation and technology of products and services.

Mr. Xing has more than 30 years working experience in the cement industry. Prior to joining KHD as member of the Management Board he worked for AVIC International and held several managerial positions at Sinoma International Engineering and Nanjing Cement Industry Design and Research Institute. Tao Xing is a recognized expert in all fields of cement technology and also has profound expertise in project execution. Mr. Xing received his Master of Mechanical Engineering from Southeast University in Nanjing.

Regional Management

André is one of two General Managers of Humboldt Wedag GmbH (Germany)

André Sybon has worked for the KHD Group since 2005. He led various departments that focused on different product and business areas, which gives him an extensive knowledge of the complete KHD product portfolio. From 2017 to 2019 he was Head of Parts and Products. With the reorganization in 2019 he was appointed to General Manager of Humboldt Wedag GmbH and is now responsible for KHD’s Center of Excellence (CoE). The CoE comprises all functions that form the backbone of KHD’s technology and provides product management, business development, engineering, procurement of proprietary equipment, process engineering and research & development throughout the entire KHD group.

André holds a degree in process engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.

Rainer is one of two General Managers of Humboldt Wedag GmbH (Germany)

Rainer Krüper started working for the KHD Group in 1995. He has managed many projects around the world and has held a variety of positions in order execution and project management. In 2011, he was appointed to Director Service and managed KHD’s After Sales department until 2015. After that he worked for another company in cement to build up a worldwide after sales structure. Since 2023, he has been appointed to General Manager of Humboldt Wedag GmbH for the Sales and Execution (S&E) division.

Through the management of different departments and tasks he has an extensive knowledge of cement machines as well as project management and after sales service.

Rainer holds a degree in production engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.

Ashok is the General Manager of Humboldt Wedag India Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Ashok Dembla has over 34 years of experience in the cement industry. He has held senior management positions at Cimmco Birla Limited, Gebr Pfeiffer India, Jaypee Cement and the Beumer Group in India. At Jaypee Cement he was responsible for its growth from 7 million tons to 32 million tons of capacity as Head of Projects. Mr. Dembla was instrumental in building KHD’s Indian organization from 5 employees in 2001 to its current size over 280 employees and a market-leading position. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Punjab University, Chandigarh as well as a Diploma from the All India Management Association.

Dwayne Holland is the General Manager (President) of Humboldt Wedag, Inc. (Unites States)

Dwayne Holland has nearly 30 years of professional experience in industrial plant engineering and CAPEX project execution, with more than 16 years directly in the cement industry and 12 years at KHD. While with KHD he has also held the positions of Senior Project Manager and Sales Director at CSC Americas. Dwayne has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (“Georgia Tech”) and received a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University.

Wolfgang is the General Manager of ZAB Zementanlagenbau GmbH Dessau (Germany)

Wolfgang holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and has over 30 years of experience in the cement industry, with a strong focus on all markets of the former Soviet Union.

Steven is the General Manager of KHD Humboldt Wedag Machinery Equipment (Beijing) Co. Ltd. (China)

Steven holds a PhD from Beijing University of Technology and brings along an impressive background of experience and knowledge in industrial cement plant construction. During his term as Vice President at Humboldt Wedag, Inc. he has contributed largely to winning and successfully executing the Mitchell project in the USA.

Supervisory Board

Mr. Jiayan Gong is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of AVIC International Beijing Company Limited. He has a degree as Master of Law from Beijing University. Mr. Gong has more than 30 years of international experience in corporate management and investments outside of China. He has worked in various management functions within the AVIC Group since 1992. As Chairman of KHD’s Supervisory Board, he, in particular, contributes his rich experience regarding supervising and consulting top management.

Mr. Gerhard Beinhauer is an entrepreneur who runs his own investment company. His experience in stake-holdings of technology-driven companies spans more than 20 years. Providing strategic counsel to family offices, boards and entrepreneurs, he developed his expertise in designing and implementing business strategies and managing turnaround and interim processes. He serves on the supervisory/advisory boards of several companies in Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. Gerhard Beinhauer holds an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mr. Xiaodong Wu works as the Chief Financial Officer of AVIC International Beijing Company Limited. Mr. Wu has long standing experience in various aspects of accounting and financial work, having worked for the AVIC Group for more than 20 years. He is Bachelor of Accounting in Shanxi University of Finance and Economics and Master of Accounting in Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences.

Mr. Jingnan Yang works as Vice President of AVIC International Beijing Company Limited. He is a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Aviation University of China and Master of Engineering in Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In addition, he is Doctor of Management Science in the same university. Mr. Yang has special expertise in engineering and almost 20 years of working experience in corporate management and has worked in various management functions within the AVIC Group since 2005.

Other Partnerships

KHD appointed Weir Minerals, part of Weir Group PLC, as our exclusive global agent and recommended service provider for high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) for minerals processing applications. For more information, please contact us.

KHD Humboldt Wedag Inter­national AG /
Humboldt Wedag GmbH
Von-der-Wettern-Str. 4a
51149 Cologne
GERMANY

Contacts

Humboldt Wedag India Pvt. Ltd.
‘Mehtab House’
A-36, Mohan Co-op Industrial Estate
Mathura Road
New Delhi 110 044
INDIA

Contacts

Humboldt Wedag Inc.
400 Technology Parkway
Norcross, GA 30092, USA

Contacts

KHD Humboldt Wedag Machinery Equipment (Beijing) Co. Ltd.
L1 building, AVIC Plaza, Room 15C
13 Ronghua South Road
Daxing District
Beijing  100176
CHINA

Contacts

ZAB Zementanlagenbau GmbH Dessau
Brauereistraße 13
06847 Dessau-Rosslau
GERMANY

Contacts

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