Calderys is a privately owned company of

refractory In materials science, a refractory (or refractory material) is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat or chemical attack and that retains its strength and rigidity at high temperatures. They are inorganic, non-metallic compound ...

solutions headquartered in

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. It resulted from the merger of the refractory companies Plibrico and Lafarge Réfractaires in 2005, and combined its operations with HarbisonWalker International in 2023.

History

William A.L. Schaefer, in 1914, developed the first monolithic refractory and created the Pliable Firebrick Company, which is also known as Plibrico. Plibrico developed its presence throughout Europe from 1930 to 1960, and was acquired by the group Imetal (future

Imerys IMERYS S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational company that specialises in the production and processing of industrial minerals. The main headquarters is located in Paris and are constituents of the CAC Mid 60 index. Groupe Bru ...

) in 1996. Imerys also acquired Lafarge Réfractaires from Materis in 2004. In 2005, Imerys merged Plibrico and Lafarge Réfractaires to create Calderys. Imerys pursued Calderys' global expansion with acquisitions such as ACE Refractories in India in 2007. Later next year in 2008, Svenska Silikaverken AB, a monolithic company active in

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and Finland, was acquired by Calderys, as well as Valöns, an important quartzite source in Åmål, Sweden. In early 2013, Calderys acquired Arefcon b.v., a refractory installation company based in the Netherlands for the

petrochemical industry file:Jampilen Petrochemical Co. 02.jpg, 300px, Jampilen Petrochemical co., Asaluyeh, Iran The petrochemical industry is concerned with the production and trade of petrochemicals. A major part is constituted by the plastics industry, plastics (poly ...

. The company continued its expansion in Asia in 2013 by signing a joint venture agreement with PT Indoporlen, an Indonesian refractory manufacturer and service provider, as well as by acquiring Tokai Ceramics, a Japanese refractory producer. In 2014, Calderys acquired Termorak Group in Finland (refractory services including lining design, installation work and inspections). It acquired Kerneos in 2017. In 2023, Imerys sold Calderys to a US private investment firm for 930 million euros. After the acquisition, Calderys became a standalone company. The fund also acquired HarbisonWalker International and combined its operations with Calderys.

Activities

Calderys is a refractory solutions provider headquartered in

. The company manufactures and distributes high temperature solutions, from refractories to casting fluxes and molding solutions. It operates 50 production sites in 30 countries (2025). Calderys produces and installs these refractories, and also provides project management services for them. Michel Cornelissen has been President and CEO of Calderys, including HWI, since February 2023.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://calderys.com/ Manufacturing companies of France Multinational companies headquartered in France Refractory materials Industrial supply companies