Unternehmen

KWST offers its entire product line from its own production for a wide range of applications.

Over 60 experts in production, development, sales and service ensure that customers are advised and served flexibly, competently, quickly and punctually “around the clock”.

We work and operate according to a philosophy that is characterized by fairness, reliability and sustainability. In this way, we achieve long-term positive results in our production and distribution of various ethanol products. The fact that we act sustainably is confirmed not least by various certificates from independent institutions.

History

1856

1870

1916

1918

1945

1950

1978

1980

1983

1984

2001

2004

2005

2007

2009

2011

2012

2014

1856

The wine trader Johann Wilhelm Kraul and his partner Friedrich Ludwig Wilkening establish the company Kraul und Wilkening KG as a contract purification distillery.

1870

The company property in Hanover Misburg is acquired and becomes home to Europe’s first molasses distillery, along with the related purification plants and the ethanol storage tank.

1916

The patent for manufacturing fertilizer out of stillage is registered.

1918

With the establishment of the Spirits Monopoly Administration of the German Reich, KWST became the contractor for the region of Northern Germany.

1945

The factory, destroyed several times during the war, is rebuilt.

1950

KWST builds and opens up first hydroselection rectification plant on the Continent.

1978

The company begins building up the marketing of ethanol for industrial and technical uses outside of the federal monopoly.

1980

The development and construction of the world’s first energy-saving three-step pressurized rectification plant for high-quality alcohol is completed.

1983

A new, energy-saving dehydration plant is put into operation.

1984

During the construction of a fully-continuous molasses distillery (according to the Biostil process) the first water-treatment plant with anaerobic (biogas) is introduced in the distilling industry.

2001

Upon finally leaving the spirits monopoly, the company develops new markets in the area of spirits and cosmetics. In addition, an anaerobic/aerobic biogas plant with a high-performance (UASB) reactor is built.

2004

KWST is the first supplier to deliver bioethanol to the German fuel industry.

2004

Commissioning of a new plant for producing 45,000 m³ p.a. of water-free bioethanol.

2005

KWST patents a proprietary process for manufacturing bioethanol and biogas from grain.

2007

The company’s infrastructure is vastly expanded by a new boiler, cooling equipment and loading facilities.

2009

With the building of a product feeder pipeline and the company’s own jetty on the Mittelland Canal, the logistics are expanded significantly and the company’s position as a European supplier of ethanol is solidified.

2011

KWST establishes the subsidiary KWST Bioethanol Rockstedt GmbH, which in cooperation with a partner in Rockstedt is involved in the manufacturing of bioethanol out of waste material from the food industry.

2012

KWST starts up a steam generator powered by waste wood from the region and establishes the subsidiary KWST International GmbH.

2014

KWST grows by integrating Mitsubishi Corporation as shareholder and strenghtens the strategic alliance with the global operating conglomerate.

Corporate philosophy

Our actions and conduct are intended to preserve an intact environment and foster peaceful and prosperous cooperation of all human beings throughout the world, Europe, Germany, Lower Saxony, and in our immediate neighborhood.

Against this backdrop, we have developed a mission statement for our business conduct that is based on fairness, reliability and sustainability .

We seek to follow these three principles in our daily lives and our business transactions.

Human rights, the German constitution (or “Basic Law”), our Christian values and moral principles are the standards by which we are measured.

In this sense, we are committed to:

Protecting the environment and its natural resources by using renewable raw materials as feedstock, energy-saving and resource-friendly processes, and acting efficiently and effectively
Equal treatment of all persons and rejection of every type of discrimination
Fair, open, and honest dealings with employees and business partners
Engaging in business relationships among equals with comparable opportunities and risks
Maintaining long-term business relationships on the basis of honest and trusting cooperation

A well-trained and motivated workforce
A safe and congenial working environment for our employees
A solid and reasonable return on investment for the shareholders and financial partners
Free and fair competition and vigilance against all types of corruption
Compliance with national laws and regulations

We feel an obligation towards our environment and fellow human beings, in particular, however, towards our employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers and partners.

Production

In 5 continuously operating distillation plants, on more than 330 days out of the year we produce highly purified neutral alcohol from grain, sugar beets and sugar cane. With a capacity of over 80,000 m³, we are among Germany’s largest producers of industrial alcohol.

We in large part developed the plants on our own and build them with competent partners from the region. This allows us to ensure that our standards for sustainable and highly-efficient production can be fulfilled. In production this means for us:

low use of energy and raw materials

practically no air emissions or pollutants

no waste disposal costs thanks to internal recycling

high degree of automation and thus low personnel costs

high safety standards and very low rates of stoppage

low fluctuations in quality thanks to IT-based product monitoring

In order to ensure and continually improve upon the high standard in production, at KWST, special emphasis is placed on initial and further training of employees. A high level of expertise is one of the critical success factors for the company.

The key production facilities are located at the Misburg site:

Rectification and dehydration

Wastewater recovery and recycling

Ethanol and molasses storage

Loading and denaturing facilities

Certification

In its long history, KWST has gained substantial experience on the topic of sustainability. Since the 19th Century, the company has been producing bioethanol with high efficiency on the basis of renewable raw materials and a highly-favorable CO₂ balance. Power of innovation is one of our company’s key assets and has enabled us to continually expand ethanol production over several decades. Not least, this results in decisive advantages for our customers, which is also reflected in various certificates:

According to “DIN EN ISO 9001:2015”, we have been proving on an annual basis since 1997, that we manufacture products which in terms of product quality fulfill the statutory/regulatory requirements as well as those of our customers.

The “QS Certificate for the production of individual feed products + warehousing/handling” has certified regularly since 2009 the adherence to the standards of quality assurance for food.

The “OK Kosher” Institute has continually certified since 2010 that our products for the customers of a globalized world can be used responsibly.

In addition, we also have a certificate according to biofuels sustainability regulations (Biokraft-NachV) and based on sustainability regulation concerning biomass flows (BioSt-NachV) according to ISCC-EU, committed to reducing CO2immissions and thus protecting the climate.

Based on the requirements of the “Codex Alimentarius” and the key statutory regulations, our production continuously undergoes testing according to an HACCP study.

By involving all employees in the further development of the processes relevant to quality, we are constantly advancing our continuous improvement processes according to the theme, “achieving greater quality together”.