Bernburg Salt Plant Loads Up Its Two Millionth Ton of Solid Salt

Production Record

For the first time in over ten years, the esco salt plant at Bernburg has crossed the magical threshold of two million tons for the production of solid salt. The record amount of solid salt leaves the plant today (15 December 2005) by goods train, destined for the seaport of Wismar, where it will be shipped to a major Scandinavian client.

Output at the Bernburg salt plant has displayed a steady upward trend over the past eight yers. The extensive modernization of the site, which has belonged to esco - european salt company, a K+S Group company, for the past five years, created the preconditions for the high production and loading capacity that is being used today. At the same time, demand for esco salt products has been continually rising.

Capacity reserves and a flexible working hours model

The existing technical capacities at Bernburg allow up to 280,000 tons of evaporated salt and three millions tons of rock salt to be produced each year. This corresponds to maximum daily output of approximately 13,000 tons of solid salt in total. In addition, up to 1.4 million tons of salt in the form of brine are produced at the plant's own brine field for customers in the chemical industry.

Particular capacity reserves are required in winter, when high de-icing salt needs have to be covered at short notice. This gives an efficient mining plant like Bernburg the opportunity to display its strengths. Within a very short period of time, the 4,000 tons produced during single-shift operation can be increased to 12,000 tones during three-shift operation. esco's flexible working hours model is an important pre-requisite in this regard, as it manages the deployment of personnel depending on the order situation flexibly within and agreed number of annual working hours. In this way, esco, with its three mining plants at Bernburg, Braunschweig-Lüneburg (near Helmstedt) and Borth (near Wesel) can supply the market with 25,000 tons of de-icing salt daily during the winter season.

Salt for Europe

esco - european salt company, a member of the K+S Group, is Europe's leading salt producer. The Hanover-based company operates 17 production and distribution sites in Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal. With an annual production of more than 5 million tons of rock salt, evaporated salt and sea salt, esco offers a full range of high quality salt products for industry, commercial customers, private consumers and road clearance services. The company employs 1,380 people and in 2004 posted revenues of approximately EUR 360 million.