20 years of Ruland – 20 years of liquid processes
20 highlights of our company history, you might not know.
Year 2000: The fashionable mobile phone Nokia 3310, the USB-stick and Harry Potter capture the German market and Michael Schumacher becomes Formula One World Champion. In addition, 20 years ago, we established with only seven employees Ruland Engineering & Consulting GmbH. 20 years later, together with our 320 employees at 5 locations in 3 companies, we proudly look at our successful company history. You can find our plants in every sector producing liquid products.
Together with our employees, customers, partners and suppliers we achieved and experienced a lot. We had exciting and challenging projects as well as interesting experiences, diverse meetings as well as painful lessons. All that shaped us. We compiled some unforgettable events and Ruland-specialities for you. We hope you enjoy it.
Ruland gets in flow with the day of foundation
On February 28th 2000, Günter Ruland and Jürgen Kutzer established Ruland Engineering & Consulting GmbH. Jürgen Kutzer informs us about his reasons: “I did not want to work other-directed anymore, but to be my own boss. Top priority was always to be the somehow different plant manufacturer with comprehensive expertise and with a certain plus in services – just to set unique standards. My motivation was the idea to establish such a company and to continuously develop it with the employees.”
Support for the Managing Partners
In the same year, the two new Managing Partners, Bernhard Scheller and Mathias Nauerth, brought in their additional portion of pioneer spirit. Out of the patient bed, Bernhard Scheller organised the complete IT-infrastructure. Today he is the manager responsible for sales. Mathias Nauerth got the complete automation and electrical assembly on going and is today mainly responsible for the Service department.
The building grows together with the company
In June 2000, the company moved to the address Im Altenschemel in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. At that time, the building was excessively big for our 7 employees. However, the need for offices and production area grew fast. That is the reason why a new assembly hall with offices was built in the year 2002. 2009, we completely renovated the hall next to us, to use it for our mechanical assembly. At that time, we also built additional offices, a roofing for the courtyard as well as parking spaces. In addition, our cafeteria has adjusted to the needs over the years and has been, at least since the last modernisation in the year 2018, an area to feel comfortable.
From the source up to the mouth
The more precise and detailed the briefing for a project is, the easier and more unproblematic is the following project management. Nevertheless, we learned by experience, that not every detail could be specified in advance. Regardless, if the customer has a new product with not yet completely tested characteristics and habits or if the tender exists in every detail, we want to react flexibly and not deliver ready-made plants. We are happy to support our customers also while developing the process plant with the first testing plant at the labour that we can scale to the size of a pilot plant and to construct later on a complete system for the industrial production.
A major order sets new scales
The order from Aqua Vision about several process lines for a new drink factory in greater Moscow 2003 was a huge development for the project management. Aqua Vision was the first customer, who ordered the complete Ruland-package – right from planning the plant up to the embedding of partner companies in the entire process. The logistical challenges including transport and customs clearance as well as the construction site itself were very exciting. Unsecured terrain, incomplete buildings and working at partially two digit-freezing temperatures made us sweat or rather freeze.
The beginning of the Quality Management
2001 Andreas Roller joined the management and launched the Quality Management. This way, processes and interfaces were analysed even though Ruland itself was still at the very beginning. Andreas requested procedures, optimised processes and documented everything. This way we achieved in the year 2003 our first DIN ISO 9001-certification. Of course, in the meantime, the management changed and developed in all areas, but we still profit from the foundation Andreas Roller laid up to the year 2011 when he left the company.
A new river occurs
Our innovative power is a result from our projects and the demands of our customers. Bernhard Scheller achieved the innovation award 2002 from Rhineland-Palatinate for the development of our container station. Meanwhile we sold nearly 200 pieces of the aseptic filling- and emptying systems for IBC-container. Other innovations take place in silence. They arise from the demands of our customers or thanks to the experiences at our service assignments. Due to our broad expertise, it is often possible for us to change negative sentences like “it does not work that way” into clever technical solution that are a real benefit for our customers. The Ruland Process Management System is such a development.
Everything from a single source
By taking over ATM in 2004, Ruland strengthened the concept „everything from a single source“ in the areas assembly and pipeline construction. Experienced CAD engineers and technicians brought their knowledge into the company. This way, the planning and assembly at our customers got better, more reliable and more flexible. With Wolmirstedt and Vlotho, we did not only gain new locations but also new colleagues and a new Managing Partner. Dr. Uwe Biermann managed the new locations with all his heart and extensive knowledge up to the year 2012.
The innovative Whirlwind
With the Whirlwind plant for clearing and cleaning the pipes, we vary a bit from our core business. Our house made Whirlwind complements the range of cleaning technologies. It is very successful and an innovative solution for customers from various branches.
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Fresh breeze with Florian Klein
„Right from the beginning I felt comfortable with Ruland“, told Florian Klein, Managing Partner at Ruland. Not only the comfort factor and the respectful and warm way of dealing with each other convinced him to enter Ruland, but also the broad positioning of the company in the most various branches and our position as provider for customised solutions in plant engineering were strong arguments.
Focus on the employees
A balanced mixture of old hands and youngsters - that is Ruland. As owner managed and medium sized company, we are very close with our employees that work independently but also in the team. Some of our employees have accompanied us since our foundation year. The average period of employment is more than 12 years and in the CAD-team even more than 14 years.
The Sales-trick at Ruland
Our colleagues at Sales in Neustadt are food technologists, filtration specialists or electrical engineers. Prior working for Ruland, they worked for producing companies, in Sales or already did their research paper with Ruland. Despite all differences, they have one thing in common: Every last name starts with “S”. Jürgen Schütze, Bernhard Scheller, Reinhard Stamm, and Dietger Spiegel – coincidence or calculation? Why “S”? That is the secret of our German Sales-team.
Alongside with our customers
Even prior to the registration of our company in 2000 we already received orders from our customers. We appreciate the long-standing collaboration with our customers. It is very exciting and amazing to see the development of these companies over the years. Around 60 % of our customers repeatedly ordered plants or advisory services from our company. At this point, we want to say thank you for the trust in our experience, innovation and passion for individual and challenging projects.
The Ruland-river and its branches
Many of our suppliers and partners have accompanied us already since the year of foundation and reward this long-lasting and trustful collaboration with good conditions. We directly pass on this advantage to our customers. One further benefit of long-standing collaborations is the uncomplicated and direct approach to new projects and the quick solution finding, if needed. We could name several partners, but regarding the special relationship, we want to focus on the following ones: the Kieselmann Fluid Process Group develops and produces process components for liquid media. The M. Roth GmbH & Co. KG delivers stainless steel containers for many plants. The Döhler Group is the worldwide leading supplier for beverage compounds and one of our largest customer.
Uniqueness meets customisation
It is the most exiting task for us to optimise the procedure the way that your product finally has exactly the characteristics you want. That does not only count for juices and fruit juice concentrates but also for special products and innovative processes. For example, customers challenged us with systems for ionic liquids, barium sulfate, colours and lacquers as well as protein hydrolysate. It was a very challenging task to produce a complete “bee factory” or the first steamed large tank for fruit juice concentrate with about 800,000 l.
Our values and our working culture
At Ruland, we think that an open and proactive culture of communication is very important. We take the time for regular team exchange and we enhance an esteeming working-atmosphere. Our working culture is fair, friendly and based on mutual trust, solidarity and loyalty. With our lean management structures, we can make quick decisions. For us independent working and teamwork is no contradiction. In our projects, during lunch in our cafeteria or at our Summer- and Christmas parties, we feel not only as colleagues but also as family facing challenges together.
The largest individual project at Ruland
For our long-standing customer, Biotest AG, a specialist for haematology and clinical immunology, we planned, constructed and installed new product lines for “Biotest Next Level“. The sheer size of this project was very impressing. At peak times, 35 technicians and engineers worked at the customer site. We installed 3,500 components | amongst them 2,300 automatised valves | 1,800 measuring- and control components | 100 pumps and agitators | more than 40 tanks | 30 load cabinets | 90 decentralised control cabinets | nearly 9 km process leading pipes and media supply |10 pharma-stainless steel-platforms | 12 technical operator platforms. Approx. 39,000 welds were documented in compliance with pharmaceutical standards.
Independent but an important part of Ruland
Grown by our history, our locations abroad are a natural part of our Ruland-family. With ATM we took over the location in Moscow in the year 2004. Originally, they were planned to mainly perform the welding- and assembly-work in Russia and the riparian states. Today, Russia transacts projects independently. Together with our Managing Partner, Eugen Blaski, Ruland Tychy joined our team in 2007. The passionate brewer and his team plan and construct plants especially for the Eastern European, African and South American market. They deliver syrup rooms and mixing systems to breweries and beverage producers. Together with the combined expertise of the other locations, they also deliver worldwide the complete Ruland-range in all branches that process liquids.
We love liquids – our employees in creative flow
Plant engineering is mainly associated with solid handcraft and reliability, not necessarily with creativity. “Solid construction and reliability are an absolute must have, but especially the creativity when realising the customer needs are the difference and reason why our tasks are that exciting.” informs Reinhard Stamm, Manager Sales. Max Rembor, one of our process engineers, joins him: “None of our systems is similar to another one. Of course, we use our experiences in process design and plant construction as base, but every customer gets a customised system with the corresponding components and processes. Therefor we combine the knowledge out of the most different projects and branches. The whole project management requires flexibility and intensive communication with all parties.”
Social Engagement
„Do good and talk about it“ is only partly our motto. Social engagement is an important aspect of our company philosophy. Usually, we do not mention it. To our 20th anniversary, we make an exception and present a real passion project. In the year 2018 a new school of the charity “Menschen für Menschen” (people for people) in Dega Hawi, 590 km north of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, had been finalised and inaugurated. Ruland, the employees as well as Bärbel and Günter Ruland financed this school building. Today, we support smaller and regional projects with different focuses and goals. Each year we decide together with our employees about the donations for e. g. refugee aid, local sports- and leisure clubs or non-profit institutions and contact points for children.
20 years of Ruland
Which memories do you have in combination with Ruland?
Do you remind your first impression? What are your highlights? We would be happy to read about your memories. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us.