The MSc thesis deals with the optimisation of the drill and blast work in two quarries of the company Holcim in Baden Württemberg, Germany. At the production site Baden-Württemberg, in the quarry Plettenberg approximately 700,000 t limestone and in the quarry Dormettingen approximately 300,000 t oil shale were mined by drilling and blasting and subsequently processed to about 500,000 t cementclinker. In the first part of the MScthesis, the current status of the drill& blast work was monitored and the quality and efficiency of the work in the quarries was analysed. In addition a lot of data regulary monitored in the quarry were analysed. On the basis of the results of the analysis of the actual drill& blast work a program for the increase of the productivity of the drill& blast work was developed. This program comprised in the quarry Plettenberg, blasts with a larger drill& blast pattern using both cartridged and bulk explosives and non-electrical detonators . In the quarry Dormettingen , blasts with a larger drill& blast pattern using cartridged explosives and with stemming plugs of the type Vari Stem Blasting Plugs were carried out. From vibration measurements, for both quarries vibration prognosis formula on the basis of the scaled distance werde derived. In a last part of the MSc thesis the economical results of the test blasts were calculated and possibilities for a further improvement of the drill& blast work were elaborated.