Who are we?

The origins of present-day CAC can be traced back to the tradesman Johann Samuel Schwalbe, who founded his engineering workshop in Chemnitz in 1811.

In 1873 the firm became a public limited company, taking the name “Maschinenfabrik Germania vormals J. S. Schwalbe & Sohn” - Maschinenfabrik Germania, formerly J. S. Schwalbe & Sohn.

At the beginning of the 20th century the engineering firm already boasted several subsidiaries in the Chemnitz region. By this time the export trade had already expanded to South and Central America, Australia, China and Russia. In the years up to the Second World War the firm was struggling with crises and shortages, although production continued.

Following the complete destruction of the main Germania site by Allied bombing, the reconstruction of the engineering plant began using the modest means available.

 One year after the end of the war over 1,000 companies in Saxony were nationalized and passed into state ownership. It was thanks to the dedication of its employees that operations continued from July 1946 under a new name:  Volkseigener Betrieb (VEB) Maschinenfabrik Germania. The intention was to switch from manufacturing machines to producing apparatus for the chemical industry. This rapidly became one of the most important industrial sectors in the GDR.

To promote the chemical industry, in 1958 the GDR initiated a program for its further development. The apparatus engineering activities of VEB Germania were joined by a plant engineering department.

From October 1964 the plant and apparatus engineering operations went their separate ways, establishing two principal areas of activity. Plant engineering was subsequently given the name VEB Anlagenbau and was the predecessor of what is now CAC. Apparatus construction operations continued under the name VEB Germania.

Since 1964 chemical plants have been planned, delivered and commissioned from the Chemnitz site for diverse markets in Germany and abroad. The company Anlagenbau Chemnitz evolved into a specialist firm in the field of international chemical plant engineering.  The first years of operation already saw it achieve successes in Schwedt as well as Leuna.

In the course of the social and economic changes in Germany after reunification, in 1990 the company was acquired by Lurgi AG of Frankfurt am Main, a longstanding engineering company with operations worldwide. In the following 14 years numerous major projects were undertaken in collaboration with Lurgi AG as well as independently.

Since 1 April 2004, when the company was re-established in the scope of a management buy-out (MBO), we have once again been operating in our traditional fields of business.

CAC is also on course for expansion in the new millennium. With the takeover of the HUGO PETERSEN company in 2005 and the merger with the Polish firm BiProTech in 2006 key steps were taken to expand plant engineering capacity.

How can climate-neutral gasoline be produced from CO2, water and renewable electricity? CAC has answered this question with an innovative new procedure. It has planned and erected Europe’s largest demonstration plant for the manufacture of synthetic gasoline at TU Freiberg. By 2013 100,000 l of stable gasoline had been produced, with more than 3,600 operating hours completed since 2010.

As is the case with synthetic gasoline, our technological development for synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) is based on methanol. SAF can be blended with conventional kerosene or replace it completely.

In the scope of the C³ Mobility research project, 46,000 liters of synthetic gasoline were produced in the demonstration plant in Freiberg. This was made available to international car and motorcycle manufacturers for engine and fleet testing. The result: The gasoline demonstrates 100 percent compatibility with the existing vehicle fleet. This means that every vehicle with a gasoline engine can be driven in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Following the 24-hour endurance test with our innovative synthetic Racing eFuels98, all expectations are met with 3rd place in the Alternative Fuels category. For the first time, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe (TGR-E) United works team began the race with a vehicle that is powered not by fossil fuels, but rather by climate-friendly and almost CO2-neutral, synthetic fuel. Up to 90 percent less CO2 was emitted.

It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Joachim Engelmann, one of the formative heads of CAC Engineering, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 84.

Joachim began his career in the company's history in 1964. As a young and ambitious engineer, he recognised the opportunities and challenges of the plant engineering industry early on. His unerring instinct for innovation and his ability to recognise the signs of the times contributed significantly to our company becoming an internationally recognised player in the field of plant engineering. He was quick to recognise the potential of sustainable energy solutions, for example, and drove the company forward with research and development into the production of synthetic fuels.

In addition to his professional expertise, Joachim was a person with a big heart who always had an open ear for his colleagues. He leaves behind an irreplaceable gap and a legacy that continues to inspire us.

We bow our heads in deep gratitude and respect to an extraordinary man. Joachim Engelmann will always be remembered and his influence will continue to be felt in every aspect of our company.

With tradition to innovation - We are operating under a new name and with a new logo

Our new name CAC ENGINEERING GMBH and the refresh of our logo symbolise the bridge between tradition and progress.

Over the past 60 years in which we have grown as a Chemnitz-based plant engineering company - almost 20 years of which under the name Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz GmbH, or CAC for short - we have built on the core values that characterise us at our core and as a brand: Reliability, humanity, experience and diversity.

These values have helped us to become one of the leading international engineering service providers in plant construction and to build trusting partnerships with our customers, business partners and employees. By changing our name, we are signalling our determination to remain a market leader in the future, to strengthen our values, to offer innovative solutions and to open up new markets.

We are also emphasising and complementing our brand essence in the warm yellow and strong black of our logo. The reason for this is our now much more diverse portfolio of services, including those outside of traditional chemical plant engineering. We are aware of our diversity and want to be recognised as such.