C02-free kiln

World premiere: CO2-free production of sanitary ceramics at LAUFEN Austria AG

Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the traditional Gmunden site, LAUFEN Austria AG put the world’s first electric kiln for sanitary ceramics into full operation in January 2024. In combination with the expansion of the in-house PV system, the plant will become the first completely CO2-neutral production facility for sanitary ceramics.

5,000 tons of CO2 savings

Compared to its gas-powered predecessor, the new stove requires only a third of the original amount of energy for the same firing capacity. For the Gmunden site, this means an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of around 5,000 tons.

Four years of development

The new technology represents a revolution for the sanitary industry and was developed from scratch by LAUFEN in collaboration with the German stove construction specialist Keramischer Ofenbau. After two years of design, calculations and tests, and a further two years for implementation and construction, the new oven was able to take over full production at the site in 2024.

Big goals

The Group currently has around 100 gas-powered tunnel kilns in use worldwide, which are to be replaced in the long term. LAUFEN’s goal is to completely decarbonize its operations, i.e. to achieve a net-zero standard like the one in Gmunden.

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