Hello!
Refratechnik turns 75 years! What began in 1950 with the founding of a small refractory brick company in Germany has grown into a global group of companies in the refractory and raw materials industry by 2025.
On this site you will find people, stories and greetings from the 75-year history of our global family business. Stay tuned, the page will be updated regularly!
Alexander Tutsek (1927 - 2011) developed the company Steinwerke Feuerfest Karl Albert GmbH into the internationally active Refratechnik Group.
Anna and her colleagues at Refratechnik Ceramics in Melle, Germany, congratulate Refratechnik on its 75th anniversary!
The wheel of life
This year we came together to pay tribute to Refratechnik on the occasion of its 75th birthday.
I remember my beginnings in January 1990 with some nostalgia.
I started at Refratechnik with a completely different way of working than we know today. With a typewriter, carbon paper to make copies, then the first MS-DOS computers. We worked in small, dark offices where cigarette smoke accompanied us. Over time, the company grew spectacularly, and in 2002, good news arrived: A new office building was going to be built. A new space that would reflect some of our progress. It was spectacular!
The wheel of life.Those children we started together are now parents of adult boys and girls.
I remember with affection the companions who made this journey possible.The people who taught us are now enjoying their retirement, although sadly some of them are no longer with us. And new generations are giving way to a more modern and brighter Refratechnik.
Thank you Refratechnik for giving us the opportunity to grow together and share experiences.
Carme Albornà Ponseti, Refratechnik Ibérica
Florian, Tobias, Sven, and Marcel wish you all the best for the company's 75th anniversary!
Maximum concentration required! This is how people worked in the technical office in the 1950s.
Looking to the future: Refratechnik 2100 - innovation meets values
We are looking 75 years further into the future: In the year 2100, the world has changed profoundly - and Refratechnik has not only experienced these changes, but has actively helped to shape them as a global pulse that beats with passion and innovation. At the same time, strong values are a constant in the way we work together. Our corporate culture is at the heart of our success.
Even in the year 2100, our customer focus is evident not only in our technology, but in every detail of our customer service. Every solution is tailored precisely to the needs of our partners, because we understand their challenges and are often even one step ahead of them. With artificial intelligence and real-time analysis, we can anticipate what our customers will need tomorrow. We not only develop products, but also create experiences for our customers that go far beyond pure technology. And one thing is always clear: people are at the heart of every solution - going the extra mile for our customers is standard for us.
Refratechnik’s global growth path remains in harmony with our family spirit. At a time when companies are often becoming impersonal, we have a culture of cohesion and respect. Colleagues work flexibly and are globally networked, but you can feel the warmth of family togetherness in every digital encounter. When we celebrate successes, we do so together - often virtually and in 3D, but always with genuine appreciation and joy.
Learning and growing are also part of our DNA in 2100. Refratechnik continues to focus on the continuous development of all employees. Thanks to individual learning paths and virtual training, everyone can develop in the direction that suits their own strengths. Every employee knows that their contribution counts and that they can actively shape the future of Refratechnik. Our managers encourage this by creating space for innovation and personal responsibility, strengthening trust and developing potential.
Our awareness of the environment and our responsibility towards society also continue to shape us: all our processes are geared towards sustainability, from resource conservation to social responsibility. Our production facilities are emission-free and we are leaders in the recycling of raw materials. The Alexander Tutsek Foundation also plays a central role in this period by supporting innovative social projects worldwide. Our teams around the world actively contribute to this - the heart of a family business always beats for society.
Even after another 75 years, Refratechnik will be more than just a workplace - it will be a place where values are lived and shared, where innovation and humanity go hand in hand. We are a company that remains true to itself by continuously developing. It is the interplay of family values, passion and a shared vision that has made us strong for 75 years - and will continue to accompany us for the next 75 years.
Here’s to the next 75 years!
Kathrin Gielsdorf
The packaging team in Spain also congratulates Refratechnik on its 75th birthday!
The next generation is having fun celebrating Refratechnik's 75th anniversary!
We are a family - and always have been. Company outing from the early days in Vogelbeck.
Our colleagues are proud to be part of the international Refratechnik family.
1971: Commissioning of the bell furnace in Göttingen.
Kevin and Malte from Refratechnik Ceramics in Melle, Germany, are also celebrating the company's 75th anniversary.
Another wonderful anniversary greeting from our production team in La Gornal, Spain.
1952: Production is moved to the present location in Göttingen, Germany.
Dr. Stefan Puntke, Managing Director at Refratechnik Cement in Göttingen, is delighted about 75 years of Refratechnik.
The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung team would like to congratulate Refratechnik on its 75th birthday! From left to right: Katharina, Julia, Barbara, Jörg, Eva-Maria, Sally, and Ayşegül
Congratulations from 2024 REFRA-Symposium Asia.
Our purchases for Refratechnik Cement are much more than just pallets and cardboard boxes.
Safety by day and by night – congratulations on 75 years of Refratechnik from Team Pforte RTC.
The technical office in the new administration building in Göttingen: Manual labor is still the trump card!
He laid the foundation for our company, which today operates globally: Karl Albert 1892 -1964.
Graeme, machine operator with QMAG:
"Whether loaders, dump trucks or excavators, I love working with the big machines in our mine."1973: Purchase of the Gochsheim plant (Kraichtal), Germany, in order to meet the cement industry's increasing demand for refractory bricks.
1966: Founding of Intermat in Trino, Italy, now known as Refratechnik Italia.
This where rice husk ash is produced, which was previously used as raw material for our own bricks. Today, rice husk ash is sold as an auxiliary material to the steelmaking industry.
Alexander Tutsek Foundation turns 25
The Alexander Tutsek Foundation was founded in 2000 by Alexander Tutsek (1927 – 2011), the previous shareholder of the Refratechnik Group, and his wife Dr. Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek. As a non-profit organisation, the Foundation's objective is the promotion of art and engineering science. In the field of art, the focus lies on contemporary sculptures and installations using glass as a medium, and also on modern photography.
The foundation has a collection of art, regularly arranges exhibitions, and supports individual artists as well as internationally significant museums and cultural institutions. In addition, the foundation is main sponsor for the "Haus der Kunst" in Munich, and also the annual "C/O Berlin Talent Award" for promoting young photographers.
In the field of science promotion, the foundation awards scholarships and supports various research projects and research institutions. In the field of science, the foundation supports institutions and research projects as well as dedicated pupils and students from disciplines in the engineering and material sciences sectors. Hereby, the focus is on glass, ceramics, refractory ceramics, and non-metallic minerals.
Above: Administration at the Melle site before the takeover 2013 by the Refratechnik Group.
Below: Refratechnik Ceramics administration in the anniversary yearOpening of Refratechnik Zibo plant, China in 2007
Congratulations on 75 years of business
1979: Purchase of a large magnesite deposit in Western Canada, and founding of Baymag Inc. in Calgary. Start of magnesium oxide (MgO)production.
Happy faces for a happy anniversary!
New state-of-the-art plant in Vizakhapatnam, India. An ultra-modern factory increases the Refratechnik Group's production capacities:
Starting 2023, an annual output of 40.000 tons of refractory products will be available to supply customers.
On June 1, 2022, I was surprised with a beautifully decorated office for my 10th anniversary!
Just as I was congratulated, I would now like to congratulate Refratechnik on its 75th anniversary, congratulations!
Here's to many more years together!
