A reliable partner in the field of ceramic raw materials since 1921
In 1950 after enduring several years’ hardship, Adolf Gottfried, the company founder who was then 61 years old, together with his sons Anton and Hans succeeded in reestablishing their clay mining company. They found a promising clay pit in Großheirath, south of the city of Coburg, Germany. After starting with pickaxes, shovels and wheelbarrows, from 1954 onwards clay mining became increasingly mechanised with the use of the first excavator. After re-opening an abandoned sub-surface pegmatite pit in Thansüß/Oberpfalz, Germany, the Gottfried Feldspat company was founded.
The bright-firing Großheirath clays were sold mainly to manufacturers of stoneware tiles and to porcelain manufacturers as sagger clay. In 1956 when the company installed its own self-generated power supply, a hammer mill was built for directly grinding the clays with their low pit moisture of approximately 11 %. With the increasing demand for high-quality chamottes, the company decided to build their first rotary kiln plant in 1958.
In order to meet the growing demand for both granulated and ground chamottes, a second, larger rotary kiln as well as a plant for chamotte preparation with different crushing, grinding and screening facilities was built in 1963.
A mineral grinding plant for iron-free fine-grinding of pegmatite and other feldspars was erected in 1966 close by the railway station in Thansüß.
The continuously increasing demand of the ceramics and other clay using industries for homogeneous and high-quality standard and special raw material led to further investments. A clay storage and homogenization facility with a capacity of approx. 5000 tons was built in 1989. In 1991 a very flexible plant for dry grinding (up to < 63 µm) of clay and other aggregates was set up. The plant also includs an integrated system for mixing and granulation.
Last but not least, consequent development of the in-house laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment triggered a continuous improvement in quality standards, from development to final testing.
Christian Gottfried joined the company in 1989, after having graduated as Dipl.Ing. (FH) Keramik (degree in ceramic engineering, University of Applied Sciences). In 1995 he succeeded Anton Gottfried as General Manager in third generation of Adolf Gottfried Tonwerke GmbH and Gottfried Feldspat GmbH.
In 2001 the manufacturing of clinker ceramics was abandoned. Since then a variety of ceramic building materials has been distributed through the company’s own business unit – Gottfried Baustoffe.
ADOLF GOTTFRIED TONWERKE GmbH
Tonwerkstraße 3
D-96269 Großheirath
Tel.: +49 (0)9565/797-0
www.gottfried.de
mail: info@gottfried.de
