About Us
Who we are
The CEEM - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. rer. pol. Karl-Ulrich Rudolph GmbH i.L., Consultants for Environmental Engineering and Management, with headquarters in Witten, Germany currently employs a staff of more than 30 - with majority fully employed under long-term assignments over many years. A number of highly qualified engineers, economists and financing specialists have been employed for more than 20 years, up to 35 years - since foundation of our consulting company. Our portfolio includes consulting for economics in water and sanitation, financing schemes and engineering - for wastewater, supply water and solid waste, including organisational and institutional issues and utilities management, project management. Assigned by private and public clients, our consulting firms, who have been active for more than 250 projects international and in Germany, mainly wastewater and water plants, networks and solid waste management, engineering design, project construction supervision, operational assistance and consultancy, or general value engineering and cost reduction programmes.
Engineering and Management
Our focus seems more important than ever: The combination of technical know-how with economic expertise. From the day of the foundation of our company CEEM, the founder Karl-Ulrich Rudolph has seen the opportunity and values provided by such combination in the water and sanitation sector and had decided to earn academic qualifications not only in water engineering, but also in environmental economics and finance. With two dissertations in these both fields, the CEO of CEEM today, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. rer. pol. Dr. h. c. Karl-Ulrich Rudolph, has finally established this combination, still quite unique in Germany and of great value world-wide, whenever this integration of technical and economic know-how is required. Through this holistic approach and perspective, our team of engineers and economists will definitely achieve the best engineering and value for money for sustainable solutions in water and sanitation, to the benefit of our clients.
What CEEM is known for
In the water sector, we, the CEEM, have become well-known through our cost-optimisation programmes and private sector participation projects. Among others, CEEM was the responsible consultant for the first BOOT (Private Operating (economic) Model) in Lower Saxony, Germany, 1981, as well as for the first PPP (Public Private Partnership), 1984, and the first combined BOOT-management model, 1987(Public Ownership, Public Sector Partizipation,as driven by specifics of the German tax legislation, with VAT-privilege only for public utilities, not for private enterprises). The most famous PSP-reference projects are still the full concession for water and wastewater in the region of Rostock - with an investment of € 485 m. The sewage treatment plant Bitterfeld - with 422,000 population equivalents - and furthermore a large number of smaller plants and projects from a couple of 100 000 to only few hundreds population equivalents in rural areas. And we have been able to apply our experience and expertise for international PSP-projects, for the elaboration of cost optimisation programmes and innovative technical/managerial approaches. In 2006, our team has won the global competition for innovations in water and sanitation (category "water management"), hosted by Development Marketplace, the World Bank.
As engineering consultants for the rehabilitation for sewer networks, we can offer customised software solutions and optimised individual rehabilitation technologies, trenchless or in open construction. In 2005, we were the first to tender the novel spiral wound lining for diameter DN 1050 PE-HD and the length of 600 m in Emmerich am Rhein.
Our technical innovations have been protected by patents. Under a number of 14, you can find the Nordhorner Verfahren (Nordhorn-method) for biological post-stabilisation and solar-drying of sewage sludge from different origins - achieving successful volume reductions, which would not have been possible following the state-of-the-art technology for sludge stabilisation. The outcome of this is a significant cost-savings for sludge to be incinerated or reutilised for landscaping, in agriculture or elsewhere.
Academic Science and Practical Application
Science is the fundament of technologies for practical application, as well as for managerial innovations. Practical application, in return, should lead science where to focus on. The co-operation between CEEM and IEEM, the Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management at the Witten/Herdecke University, with Prof. Dr. Dr. Rudolph as Director of IEEM, is an extremely fortunate combination. As innovative consultants, we put strong emphasis on utilising the best available scientific background and applicable technology and management schemes. Basing on our links and know-how of the research-world, CEEM is able to offer the most efficient and best options to its client, the best available solutions and - last not least - the most suitable financing- and grant-facilities for our clients from the public and private sector in Germany, Europe and world-wide.