Quartz glass is indispensable for the production of high-tech products due to its special properties. The glass impresses with high chemical purity, excellent transparency, high UV permeability, radiation resistance, and minimal thermal and electrical conductivity.

The Raesch Quartz GmbH from Ilmenau utilizes these extraordinary properties to serve key industries with customer-specific quartz tubes and rods. After ten years under the umbrella of Dr. Höhnle AG, the company has been back in the hands of the company founder Fritjof Raesch since 2022. This is to ensure the long-term future of Raesch Quartz.

Continuous Improvement

Raesch was founded in 1992 and has been consistently growing since then. Over the years, the product portfolio has been continuously expanded and today includes quartz glass tubes, quartz glass rods, resize tubes, quartz ware tubes, fabricated components, lamp bulbs, UV lamp bodies, as well as quartz glass plates. Since 2013, tubes with a larger outer diameter can also be drawn: Since 2017, the company has been operating its own resize center for quartz glass tubes at the Langewiesen location, where quartz glass tubes with outer diameters from 60 mm to 1,000 mm and a wall thickness of up to 8 mm can be manufactured on powerful and modern glass lathes.

"A main focus was also on the continuous improvement of our quality," says Sven Klabunde, Managing Director. "This has made us an increasingly attractive provider, especially for the conductor and semiconductor industries. But our quartz glass products are also used in the chemical industry, in the production of optical fibers, or as discharge bulbs for special light sources."

Back into trusted hands

From 2012 to 2022, Raesch Quarz was a subsidiary of Dr. Höhnle AG, a specialist for UV products that are used for coating or disinfection. In 2022, the company's founder, Fritjof Raesch, decided to buy back all the shares. This gave the company a completely different momentum.

"At 78 years old, he has a very clear vision of what he wants to achieve with the buyback," notes Sven Klabunde. "With him, we have a contact who knows and understands our core product, the markets, and the customers exactly. He is fully committed and brings all his knowledge to make his company competitive for the future. This is a great advantage for us."

Together with Fritjof Raesch, the managing director has restructured the company in recent months, streamlined costs, and made processes more efficient. The focus remains on investments in new technologies and further optimization of quality. With this, the company not only scores points in Germany and is a sought-after partner in the semiconductor technology that is being ramped up again, but is also in demand internationally.

For example, Raesch supplies the semiconductor industry in the USA, but also well-known manufacturers of technologically sophisticated lamps in Japan. "We are now a known player in the market," says Sven Klabunde. "Compared to competitors, we are small and flexible. We visit our customers on-site and work with them to find a solution."

Demands on politics

After restructuring and a renewed focus on old values, Raesch Quarz GmbH has set its sights on further growth. The executive management aims to become a reliable size in the international market and to advance automation further. With the improvement of process technology and the approach of continuously improving quality together with customers, the company has laid the foundation for a successful future. However, it relies on support from politics for successful development.

"For example, we are currently struggling a lot with energy prices in Germany," explains Sven Klabunde. "It would be desirable to have similar energy costs as in France, otherwise it distorts the competition. If this industry declines in Germany, the demand does not disappear but is built up elsewhere. Then I would prefer we maintain the industry through sensible regulations. This keeps the paths short and is also ecologically sustainable in the long run. Moreover, I am increasingly concerned about political developments. I hope that our country remains democratic. For an export-oriented company like us, any extreme is not sensible. We should concentrate today on advancing Germany as an economic location. Only then can we live up to our ecological role. And we can only do that with a strong economy that meets the requirements and is accordingly supported by politics."