What Stephan Schmidt KG does

Stephan Schmidt KG is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of specialty clays and industrial minerals, founded in 1947 and headquartered in Dornburg-Langendernbach. It is one of Europe's largest producers of special clays, operating 20 clay pits (16 of them in the Westerwald region), 9 homogenisation plants, grinding and preparation capacity of 350,000 tonnes per year, a dedicated 20,000-tonne dry-granulation plant, and covered storage capacity of more than 100,000 tonnes. Annual sales exceed 1.6 million tonnes of raw material, and reserves are rated at more than 120 years. The portfolio is organised into two families — Keramische Produkte (sanitaryware, tiles, roofing, bricks, electro-porcelain, engobes/glazes, vitrified clay pipes, refractories, grinding wheels via the sanLine, tileLine, roofLine, glazeLine, brickLine and Westerwälder Kompetenzton lines) and Advanced Clay Minerals (substrates under Florisol, fillers/additives under Capsil, concrete admixtures under Concresol, sealing systems under Secursol, well construction under Compactonit, backfill under Brutoplast, and refractory under Refrasol). Four in-house laboratories support R&D and quality control; the group holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018 and RHP certifications, and was the first clay-mining company to gain ISO certification in 1994.

The business model is B2B industrial raw-material supply with customised, ready-to-use clay blends and raw-material concepts developed jointly with customers by specialised product group managers. Products are sold as homogenised clay, ground clay, clay powder, and dry granulate in bulk, silo, and bagged form, distributed through a multi-modal logistics stack that includes own railway sidings, Rhine inland-water transport, lorry, ocean vessels and containers, reaching more than 40 countries. The group operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Germany (Stephan Schmidt Meißen GmbH, MTG Mittelhessische Tonbergbau, Windpark Arborn GmbH) and Italy (Ceramat s.r.l., Progind International s.r.l.), and is managed across generations by the Schmidt family with no external equity capital. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; positioning emphasises long-term supply security, consistency, technical service, and certification-backed quality rather than headline price competition.

Revenue is not publicly reported and headcount remains in the 51–100 range despite the multi-million-tonne shipping footprint, reflecting a capital-intensive, automated extraction and processing model. Recent strategic activity has been dominated by acquisition-driven consolidation (2024 customer-base takeovers of Braun Tonbergbau and Torfwerke Brinkmann; 2020 internal merger of Marx Bergbau and Müllenbach & Thewald; 2023 launch of wind-energy subsidiary Windpark Arborn) rather than by rapid organic growth.

Name

Stephan Schmidt KG

Legal name

Stephan Schmidt KG

Website

https://schmidt-tone.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stephan Schmidt KG is a family-owned German miner and processor of specialty clays and industrial minerals, serving the ceramic, construction, environmental, horticultural, and refractory industries. It operates 20 clay pits, 9 homogenisation plants, and ships to more than 40 countries via wholly-owned European subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Minerals and Specialty Clays

NAICS

Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining (212323), Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing (327992), Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying (21232)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth) (IMAKAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kaolin & Ball Clay (IMAEAFAB), Bentonite & Other Smectite Clays (IMAEAFAE), Industrial Minerals Trading (Phosphate, Potash, Sulfur, Borates, Barite, Talc) (IMAKAJAF)

Keywords

• Special clays production
• Industrial minerals manufacturing
• Ceramic raw materials
• Ball clay processing
• Bentonite mining

Headquarters

HQ city

Dornburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Special Clays and Minerals Sales: B2B sale of special clays and industrial minerals to ceramic industries and other industrial mineral applications. Products sold include homogenised clay, ground clay, clay powder, and dry granulate in various preparation levels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stephan Schmidt KG mines, processes, and distributes special clays and industrial minerals used as raw materials for the ceramic industry and various industrial applications. The company operates 20 clay pits, 9 homogenising plants, and grinding/preparation facilities, producing homogenised clay, ground clay, clay powder, and dry granulates marketed under branded product lines such as sanLine®, tileLine, roofLine, glazeLine, brickLine, Florisol®, Capsil®, Concresol®, Compactonit®, Brutoplast®, Secursol®, and Refrasol®.

Product overview

Stephan Schmidt KG is one of Europe's leading producers of special clays and industrial minerals, operating under the Stephan Schmidt Group umbrella. The company offers two main product categories: (1) Keramische Produkte (Ceramic Products) - raw material concepts for all ceramic industry sectors including sanitaryware, tiles, roofing, bricks, porcelain, and refractories, marketed through product lines like sanLine® for sanitaryware, tileLine for tiles, roofLine for roofing, glazeLine for enamels/glazes, and brickLine for bricks; and (2) Advanced Clay Minerals - industrial mineral applications including Florisol® for substrates, Capsil® for building materials and fillers, Concresol® for concrete additives, Compactonit® and Brutoplast® for sealing, Secursol® for environmental engineering, and Refrasol® for refractory products. The company supplies raw materials in various preparation forms: homogenised clay, ground clay, clay powder, and dry granulates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Westerwälder Kompetenzton®: Brand encompassing special clays from the Westerwald region, representing raw material quality, long-term experience, and concentrated know-how from research and technology. Used as a quality hallmark across product lines including sanLine®, tileLine®, roofLine®, glazeLine®, and brickLine®.
• sanLine®
• tileLine®
• roofLine®
• glazeLine®
• brickLine®
• Florisol®
• Capsil®
• Refrasol®
• Compactonit®
• Brutoplast®
• Secursol®
• Concresol®

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• BKRI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Kies- und Steinindustrie)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Framework agreement on water pollution control concluded with Land Rhineland-Palatinate through the industry association BKRI. This agreement demonstrates the company's commitment to environmental protection and sustainable mining practices.
• Land Rhineland-PalatinatemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework agreement on water pollution control - cooperative environmental protection initiative
• AIF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for research projects through AIF funding programs
• BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for KMU Innovativ and ZIM projects - federal funding for small and medium enterprises innovation
• Forschungsinstitut Glas & Keramik (FGK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute collaboration. Prof. Dr. Ralf Diedel previously served as managing director of FGK before leading Stephan Schmidt's R&D department since 2016

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Imerys: Paris-listed global leader in mineral-based specialty solutions with a substantial Performance Minerals segment covering ball clays, kaolins, bentonites and other industrial minerals. Directly comparable to Stephan Schmidt in ceramic raw materials, fillers and European customer base.
• Old Hickory Clay Company: US-based producer of ball clays and bentonites for ceramic, refractory and industrial applications. Direct competitor in the global ball clay supply market, particularly for sanitaryware and tile producers.
• Active Minerals International: US-based producer of kaolin, attapulgite, bentonite and engineered mineral products serving industrial and specialty markets. Overlaps with Stephan Schmidt in fillers, ceramic raw materials and industrial clay applications.
• KaMin LLC: Specialty kaolin producer serving paper, paint, plastics and rubber industries with growing presence in performance minerals. Comparable in kaolin processing and functional filler applications similar to Stephan Schmidt's Capsil® line.
• Aspanger Bergbau: Austrian industrial minerals company mining and processing kaolin, bentonite and mica for ceramic, paint and plastics applications. Comparable mid-sized European specialty clay producer serving overlapping end-markets.
• Sibelco: Belgian-headquartered global industrial minerals producer with significant European ball clay, kaolin and silica operations serving ceramics, glass and industrial applications. Closely comparable geography, customer mix and product portfolio.
• Thiele Kaolin Company: US kaolin miner and processor serving paper, paint, rubber and specialty industrial markets. Comparable in kaolin mining, processing and custom-blended product offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Minerals Technologies Inc. US-listed specialty minerals company with operations in bentonite, ball clay and refractory raw materials globally. Comparable in ceramic and industrial mineral end-markets, but with broader portfolio across precipitated calcium carbonate and refractories.

Regional players

• Cimprogetti: Italian-headquartered engineering and equipment supplier specializing in cement and lime plant technology. Adjacent to Stephan Schmidt's Italian ceramic industry customer base via ceramic process technology, though not a direct raw material competitor.

Others

• Retsch Technology / Retsch GmbH: German manufacturer of grinding and preparation equipment for industrial minerals and laboratory applications. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but highly relevant to Stephan Schmidt's grinding, homogenising and granulation infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stephan Schmidt KG