Dr Lili Wild, Head of Quality Assurance, and Simon Kellerer, Head of Extraction and Processing and also an alumnus of OTH Regensburg, welcomed the guests and first provided everyone with the necessary protective equipment. During a tour of the lime works site, they provided interesting insights into lime processing. Right at the beginning, the alumni were offered a magnificent view of the quarry with a rainbow. Simon Kellerer demonstrated the different qualities of the stone. The Regensburg quarry is very inhomogeneous, which is why the ‘cream slices in the quarry’ have to be sought. The highest point of the quarry is 425 metres. In total, it is just under 100 metres deep.
The visitors were then able to take a look inside the crushing plant, which was built back in 1942. Little technical progress has been made since then, so this crushing plant will probably continue to operate until the end of the quarry. Around 350 tonnes of stone are processed in the plant every hour. It takes 24 hours to burn one stone. ‘Lime burning is not for the faint-hearted,’ says Dr Lili Wild. The company's own vehicle workshop, electrical workshop and mechanical workshop ensure that repairs can be carried out on site in the best possible way.
After dark, all alumni and friends of OTH Regensburg met in the company canteen. They were welcomed there by plant manager Wolfgang Wegner. He warmly welcomed the guests once again and thanked them for their great interest. Wolfgang Wegner then gave an insight into the history of Walhalla Kalk GmbH & Co. KG and current challenges. Limestone has been mined at the foot of the Keilberg near Regensburg and processed into high-quality lime since the middle of the 19th century. Several companies have utilised the high-quality deposits. Since 2015, Walhalla Kalk GmbH & Co. KG has been an associated company of the Lhoist Group and produces and sells limestone powder and crushed sand, burnt lime, lime mix products and special building materials as well as minerals for road construction. With around 100 employees and a turnover of approx. 35 million euros, Walhalla Kalk is today one of the largest and most modern lime works in southern Germany.
Afterwards, the guests had the opportunity to ask further questions and discuss what they had learnt over a light snack.
Together with the OTH Regensburg Alumni Network, the Association of Friends of OTH Regensburg e.V. organises alumni get-togethers with company excursions. The networking event offers all alumni and friends of the university the opportunity to get to know companies in the region and make interesting contacts.
