One year after the flood: Aurubis Stolberg faces the future with renewed strength

One year after the flooding disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Aurubis Stolberg is back in full operation, with the exception of a few attendant facilities. The plant was completely flooded on July 14, 2021, as a result of severe weather in the region, and production had to be stopped. The employees were evacuated in time so that no one was injured. The clean-up operations took about five months. The majority of production facilities – excluding two large-scale units that had to be newly purchased – were cleaned, repaired and gradually restarted. The first product group was delivered to customers again in November 2021, and the final production line was restarted in June 2022. The final step to be completed is the renovation of the administrative offices and social areas.

Successful reconstruction 

The rapid reconstruction of the plant is a great success and proof of the solidarity in our company. Aurubis Stolberg was and is a company with a future in the Aurubis family, because our metals and products are more important than ever for the energy transition

, says Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis. “Immediately after the disaster, we decided to completely rebuild the plant. This also provided security for the employees, who were financially secured from day one with full continuation of pay.”

Dr. Benjamin Cappi, the new Managing Director of Aurubis Stolberg since April 1, experienced the flood as a member of the management team: “We received a great deal of strong support from our sister plants, customers, helpful companies, and a multitude of volunteers. We managed this reconstruction together; everyone at the plant contributed. Our sincere thanks therefore go to everyone involved!”

By communicating closely with its customers, the site was able to demonstrate its reliability and to develop joint pragmatic solutions for the production losses. “We used the time to position ourselves better and more strongly for the future,” emphasizes Cappi. Disaster management guidelines were also reviewed and revised following the flood. However, policymakers and the government must take more extensive measures to prevent the extreme consequences of storms such as the one in 2021. Aurubis Stolberg is working closely on this with all decision-makers in the region.