125 Years of Amberger Kaolinwerke: A History of Pioneering Spirit and Transformation
One of our subsidiaries is turning 125. And we, as the parent company, are immensely proud. What began with the development of kaolin deposits in the Upper Palatinate has, over more than a century, evolved into an internationally active group of companies. Technical progress, entrepreneurial courage, and the ability to continually adapt to changing conditions have shaped the history of AKW (Amberger Kaolinwerke Eduard Kick GmbH & Co. KG) to this day.
This retrospective highlights the key events, key figures, and milestones of an extraordinary success story.
In the 19th century, kaolin from Hirschau and Schnaittenbach in the Upper Palatinate was used primarily for earthenware production. Accordingly, the kaolin sites of that time produced entirely or predominantly for their own earthenware production. At the turn of the century, however, markets shifted, and new sales opportunities opened up. There was now a demand for kaolin plants that operated independently of stoneware production—marking the birth of the Amberg Kaolin Works.
The Founders: Kick and Schiffer
Georg Schiffer founded the Amberger Kaolinwerke in Hirschau on March 29, 1901. He developed many processing techniques and machines himself and was a true pioneer. Thanks largely to his drive, AKW developed into the most significant and advanced company of its kind within just two decades. By the company’s 25th anniversary, raw clay was already being extracted from the pit using bucket and chain excavators. On January 28, 1931, Georg Schiffer died in a tragic car accident.
Another pioneer of the Upper Palatinate kaolin industry was Eduard Kick. Born on February 3, 1803, in Biberach an der Riß, he worked as an accountant at the C. M. Dorfner earthenware factory in the 1830s. There he became familiar with the kaolin deposits in the Hirschau/Schnaittenbach area. He decided to try his luck as an entrepreneur and, with the support of his future father-in-law, established the first kaolin plant in the Upper Palatinate in 1833. Eduard Kick died on March 3, 1880, in Amberg at the age of 77, following a brief illness.
The Landmark: Monte Kaolino
The roots of today’s “Monte Kaolino” also date back to that time. As production continued to grow, the facility had to be expanded. Excess sand from kaolin processing was transported via a conveyor belt and deposited outside the factory grounds. From this sand, the so-called Monte Kaolino grew to over 100 meters in height and has since become the landmark of the town of Hirschau.
In 1956, Wolfgang Droßbach, then managing director of Amberger Kaolinwerke, founded the world’s first sand skiing club, SC Monte Kaolino Hirschau e. V. Amberger Kaolinwerke made this fun activity possible—and continues to do so to this day. A swimming pool with a sandy beach was also built at the foot of Monte Kaolino.
Material handling technology is evolving
The plant survived World War II without suffering significant damage; however, the resumption of production was delayed due to a lack of electricity, and the “shortage of railcars” initially hindered deliveries to customers. After a somewhat rocky start, investments could resume in 1949, primarily in equipment designed to produce higher-quality kaolin.
A Tatz bucket excavator was purchased as early as the 1920s. At the time, the excavator required two operators and provided much-needed assistance to the many workers in the pit, since until then, raw clay extraction had been carried out exclusively by hand (using shovels) and muscle power.
A recent milestone was the commissioning of a new Komatsu PC2000 excavator in September 2024. The custom-made bucket is precisely tailored to the requirements of kaolin extraction. Today, the excavated material is transported by dump truck to the conveyor system and from there to the plant. Conveyance capacity has increased more than tenfold over the past 100 years—heavy physical labor is a thing of the past.
Expansion into a corporate group
Following its reconstruction during the economic miracle years, Amberger Kaolinwerke expanded into a corporate group, now under the leadership of Dieter Heckmann, the son-in-law of Wolfgang Droßbach, and his nephew Oskar Hallbauer. From the early 1990s onward, the company was led by Thomas Heckmann (who stepped down as a shareholder in July 1996), Dr. Thomas Marx (managing director until 2002), and Dr. Otto Hieber, who shaped the company as managing director until 2024.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification marked the beginning of an eventful period, during which the corporate group continued to grow. First, the two major kaolin operations in central Germany, Kemmlitzer Kaolinwerke and Caminauer Kaolinwerk, were acquired. At its own site, AKW acquired the neighboring company Eduard Kick and has operated under the name Amberger Kaolinwerke Eduard Kick GmbH & Co. KG since 1993.
As the Amberger Kaolinwerke continued to grow and shift its strategic focus toward industrial minerals, it also came to the attention of the Quarzwerke Group. With this acquisition in 1995, Quarzwerke added kaolin, following quartz, as another key industrial mineral to the group, thereby making AKW an important subsidiary.
Another significant milestone was the acquisition of a Ukrainian kaolin plant near Kyiv in 2007, the Group’s first international kaolin site. By 2022, it had developed into one of Europe’s most important kaolin sites. However, the war in Ukraine poses major challenges for the plant: lost customers, disrupted supply chains, and uncertain transport routes characterize daily operations. This makes it all the more remarkable that production continues despite these circumstances, adapted to the situation and thanks to the great dedication of the employees.
Looking Ahead: International and Connected
Since 1995, Amberger Kaolinwerke and its sites have been moving forward together under the umbrella of the Quarzwerke Group. Becoming part of the group opened up new opportunities, technologically, organizationally, and internationally. At the same time, AKW has retained its strong identity as a site steeped in tradition and a driver of innovation.
In 2025, a major reorganization took place across the entire group, enabling better utilization of synergies within the corporate group. All international business units that are primarily involved in kaolin production have since been grouped under “Division K” (K = Kaolin). Since then, Amberger Kaolinwerke has been working even more closely with the Bulgarian company Kaolin EAD, which has been part of the Quarzwerke Group since 2013.
With all these developments, Amberger Kaolinwerke is ideally positioned for the future as a modern industrial site with strong roots and a clear vision for the future.
