History of the voestalpine Group. voestalpine AG

Transcription

1 History of the voestalpine Group

2 The Group from 1938 up to the Present : The Linz Site of Reichswerke AG Hermann Göring Berlin : VÖEST : VOEST-ALPINE AG : VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG up to the Beginning of Privatization : Restructuring of the Group. From VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG to : 2001 up to the Acquisition of BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM-Group : voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

3 : The Linz Site of Reichswerke AG Hermann Göring Berlin Beginning with 1938 an iron and steelworks a subsidiary of the Reichswerke Hermann Göring AG Berlin founded in 1937 was established in Linz as part of the nationalsocialist war industry. The approximately 4,500 inhabitants of St. Peter/Zizlau, the site for the Hermann Göring works, were relocated to other parts of the city. In 1939 Reichwerke Linz and Alpine Montangesellschaft merged to form Alpine Montan Aktiengesellschaft Hermann Göring Linz Corporate Communications, Documentation Center Southern Harbor Side towards Blast Furnaces

4 : The Linz Site of Reichswerke AG Hermann Göring Berlin Hermann Göring works comprised at the Linz site five large companies, among them Eisenwerke Oberdonau, which was given highest priority, because it was an armaments factory. From 1941 onward the complex of companies in Linz successively began production. It would not have been possible to build the plants in Linz and to produce armaments without the use of foreign labor. In summer 1938 foreign civilian workers arrived. Later, from 1940/1941, forced laborers, prisoners of war and, beginning at the end of 1942, also concentration camp prisoners were used Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

5 : The Linz Site of Reichswerke AG Hermann Göring Berlin In the summer of 1944 allied bombing attacks on Linz and the site began. The number of laborers reached its highest point in At that time the percentage of foreign laborers (not counting prisoners of war and concentration camp prisoners) averaged two-thirds. In some particular sections of production the figure was more than 90 percent. Somewhat more than 10 percent of the foreign workers at the Linz site were women. Laborers for Production, Eisenwerke Oberdonau, January 1941 to May Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

6 VÖEST May 5, 1945 US troops reached Linz. The plants in the city were confiscated as German assets. In July, respectively, in October they were renamed Vereinigte Österreichische Eisenund Stahlwerke AG (United Austrian Iron and Steelworks AG) or VÖEST. In addition, they were separated from Alpine Montan AG. Vehement differences of opinion on the question of whether the plants should continue in existence. The decision to continue operating the plants in Linz also led to a significant alteration of the regional economic structure. Summer 1946 The commanding American officer, General Mark W. Clark, turned VÖEST over to the Republic of Austria in trust. Ten days later VÖEST was nationalized on the basis of the First Nationalization Act. Iron and Steel Plan 1948 The production of commercial sheet steel was concentrated in Linz. The same year saw the beginning of an expansion program with foreign capital made available through the Marshall Plan of the USA Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

7 VÖEST The success story of VÖEST began with the managing of the post-war chaos and the reconstruction. An important step was the development of the LD process. After a long period of preliminary work in Austria and other countries, scientists in Linz made the breakthrough. The world s first LD steelmaking plant was constructed in Linz. From 1952 onward the LD process revolutionized steel production. Conclusion of the State Treaty in VÖEST took over management of the Krems steelworks. LD Steel Making Plant Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

8 VÖEST In 1957 VÖEST began constructing seagoing vessels in order to prove that plates of LD steel were fully suitable for shipbuilding and also to achieve a degree of stabilization in the shipping costs of VÖEST s substantial overseas acquisitions of raw materials. In total, four seagoing freighters were launched by 1967 (Linzertor, Wienertor, Kremsertor und Buntentor). In 1958 entry into the construction of industrial plants on an international level. In cooperation with the Fried. Krupp company in Essen, Germany, VÖEST began construction in Rourkela (India) of the first steelmaking plant outside of Austria. In 1959 the public management of VÖEST, which had been in effect since the end of the war, was replaced by customary organizational bodies (Management Board, Supervisory Board and Annual General Meeting) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

9 VÖEST In the 1960s VÖEST became, by Austrian standards, a huge and multi-faceted conglomerate. In 1963 the reorganization of VÖEST began. Beginning with the mid-1960s a special investment program aimed at the modernization of finishing operations (among other things the first slab continuous caster at LD Steelmaking Plant 2). In 1973 VÖEST, Linz, merged with the operations of Österreichisch-Alpine Montangesellschaft, Wien, to form VÖEST-ALPINE AG. Assembly works on the steel structure of Europabrücke (1962) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

10 VOEST-ALPINE AG The effects of the merger coincided with the international economic crisis. From 1975 the repercussions also reached Austria. Until 1976 various other companies were consolidated to form new companies and were integrated into VÖEST-ALPINE AG (among others the companies of the Edelstahlindustrie (Böhler, Schoeller- Bleckmann and Steirischen Gussstahlwerke), which were consolidated to form Vereinigte Edelstahlwerke AG (VEW) A new form of organization was instituted. The group was broken down into four business segments: steelworks, processing, finished products and industrial plant construction. Commissioning of Blast Furnace A (1977) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

11 VOEST-ALPINE AG In 1980 a comprehensive diversification strategy was initiated. Since 1981 VOEST-ALPINE Group had been operating at a big deficit Crash of VOEST-ALPINE Constant exertion of political influence, the misuse of the company as a national labor pool, changes in international framework conditions, the erosion of individual companies, failures in diversification, in foreign projects and in finished products as well as enormous losses of the trading subsidiary Intertrading led to the crash which set in motion a far-reaching restructuring process for Austrian industry. The conglomerate was broken-up Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

12 VOEST-ALPINE AG VOEST-ALPINE NEW: A new organizational structure was developed, a streamlining program was agreed upon and an investment program was authorized. The Stahlstiftung (Steel Foundation) was founded in 1987 to provide support for employees who had lost their jobs The Group approved an investment package promoting environmental protection Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

13 : VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG up to the Beginning of Privatization 1988 A fundamental reorganization of the ÖIAG Group led to the formation of six holding companies, one of them was VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG. It encompassed six controlling companies: VOEST-ALPINE Stahl Linz GmbH, VOEST-ALPINE Stahl Donawitz GmbH, Böhler GmbH Kapfenberg, Böhler AG Düsseldorf, VOEST-ALPINE Stahlhandel AG and VOEST- ALPINE Rohstoffhandel GmbH. Coil Coating Plant (COLOFER) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

14 : VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG up to the Beginning of Privatization In 1989 the most important holding companies of ÖIAG, among them VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG, were placed under Industrie- und Beteiligungsverwaltungs-GesmbH (IBVG), a wholly owned subsidiary of ÖIAG. In 1990 IBVG was converted into Austrian Industries AG (AI) Acquisition of the Swedish Uddeholm Group, which in the following year merged with the companies of the Böhler Group to form Böhler-Uddeholm. In 1993 AI was dissolved. Three groups were created from AI with the goal of privatization: VA Technologie AG, Böhler-Uddeholm AG and VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

15 : VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG up to the Beginning of Privatization In order to optimize the portfolio, in 1994 business segments that either lay outside core competences or possessed too little synergy potential for the group were divested (e.g., VOEST-ALPINE Stahl Judenburg GmbH). In 1995, one year earlier than originally planned, VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG went public and got a new ownership structure. Dedusting system for Sinter Belt 5 (1993) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

16 : Restructuring of the Group. From VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG to A number of acquisitions were made during these years (e.g., the British company METSEC plc., the Dutch Polynorm N.V., the German TSTG (Thyssen Schienen Technik GmbH). Up to 1998 the product portfolio of the Group was further enhanced through an extensive expansion program and the processing percentage was increased even further. In mid-1997 a facility to manufacture laser-welded blanks (sheet steel blanks for the automotive industry) began operation after a record construction time of only one year. Roller leveler and rail cooling bed (120 m) in Donawitz Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

17 : Restructuring of the Group. From VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG to In 1997 VOEST-ALPINE SCHIENEN GmbH & Co KG in Donawitz started a remodeling and expansion program to ensure the continuation of ist technological leadership. In 1998 at VOEST-ALPINE STAHL LINZ GmbH the continuous annealing line in Cold Rolling mill 2 a milestone in continuous annealing technology in Europe started production, followed in 1999 by Secondary Dedusting 2 and in 2000 by a new vacuum system in LD Steelmaking Plant 3. In 2001 voestalpine Grobblech GmbH achieved an important success with the product launch of its innovative sour service plates for tubes. The Donawitz site received a modernization boost. In 2000 this included the conversion of the LD steel mill into a LD compact steelmaking plant incorporating state-of-the-art technology and in 2001, the decision to invest in the modernization and expansion of rail production. Beginning in 2001 the employee shareholding scheme was implemented on the group level. Employees at the Austrian sites held approximately 4 percent of the shares of their company Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

18 : Restructuring of the Group. From VOEST-ALPINE STAHL AG to 2001 Alteration of the corporate structure. Instead of the typical steel structure of flat products and long products a breakdown into the divisions of Steel, motion (from 2005 onward Automotive), Railway Systems and Profilform was introduced. More out of steel Constant extension of the value chain. High-tech-company and market niche provider Clear orientation towards processing, upgrading, manufacturing of components and provider of specific and complete solutions. At this time, the name of the Group was changed to and pursued an umbrella brand strategy under the brand voestalpine Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

19 voestalpine from 2002 up to the Acquisition of BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM-Group In 2002 the 45.3 percent share of VAE held by Vossloh AG were acquired. With that and the acquisition of the remaining 9.4 percent free-float shares in January 2003 voestalpine Bahnsysteme GmbH became the sole owner of the world s leading manufacturer of turnouts Beginning of the Investment program Linz 2010 : Relining and expansion of Blast Furnace A. Associated facilities were aligned with the new capacity (among others, the sintering plant, the power plant, LD Steelmaking Plant 3, the rolling mills and the coil coating lines). This project was originally scheduled for the year 2010 and entered its last stage in 2007 and therefore distinctly earlier than planned. Plastic Injection Tower at Blast Furnace A in Linz Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

20 voestalpine from 2002 up to the Acquisition of BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM-Group Follow-up-project L 6, in which L stands for the Linz site and 6 for the increase of the crude steel production of approximately 5.4 million tons to more than 6 million tons per year. In 2003 the employee shareholding scheme of increased to around 10.5 percent. In 2003 voestalpine was fully privatized and a convertible bond for the remaining 15% of government-owned shares was issued. The bond was converted on August 31, 2005, which meant that voestalpine was then fully in private ownership. The Group s international presence was further enhanced through expansion up to Among others Eastern Europe, India, China, Brasil, Great Britain Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

21 voestalpine from 2002 up to the Acquisition of BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM-Group 2007/ percent acquisition of the BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM-Group and integration as the Special Steel Division. A unique economic success story so far with constant new all-time highs regarding turnover, results and workforce. R&D and Environment According to EU statistics voestalpine has been the most research-intensive industrial company. Numerous environment and safety awards. BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM: Kapfenberg site, old works Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

22 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present In fall 2008 the economic downswing due to the world-wide banking and financial crisis also reached voestalpine. The demand started spiraling downward.the swiftly implemented crisis management of the Group reacted comprehensively to the deterioriating situation and a cost-cutting and efficiency improvement program was implemented with the objective of achieving optimization across the entire group. In 2008, the voestalpine Group continued to strengthen its leading position on the fastgrowing railway market due to orders for turnouts for high-speed railway lines and became number one in Asia for high-speed turnouts. In 2009, the Group continued to expand its presence in the USA. For example, the US subsidiary Roll Forming Corporation (RFC) received a record order from RTI for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. voestalpine supported Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, when it was named European Capital of Culture 2009 ( Linz 09 project). In the fall of the same year, the festive opening of the voestalpine Stahlwelt was celebrated Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

23 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present The business year 2009/10 was characterized by the big economic crisis and was the toughest and most difficult in decades. In the first nine months of the business year 2010/11, however, voestalpine Group was again able to achieve a very significant growth in turnover and results compared to the previous year. voestalpine Böhler Welding (China) Co., Ltd., Suzhou site Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

24 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present In 2010, voestalpine Stahl GmbH continued to implement its EUR 700 million investment program L6. Although individual parts of the program were postponed. Within the scope of this project, in 2011, among other things, the renovated wide strip mill was put into operation, the melting pot gas holder was built as well as a new deno x system for the denitrification of sintering exhaust at Europe s cleanest sintering plant. The latter was commissioned in December The Böhler Welding Group opened an expanded plant for welding consumables in Indonesia. In order to increase the Group s efficiency, a new Group structure was decided upon in The five existing divisions were reorganized into four divisions and the decision was made to rename them and to only use the divisions English names in the future: Steel Division (previously Steel Division), Special Steel Division (previously Special Steel Division), Metal Engineering Division (previously Railway Systems Division), and the Metal Forming Division (previously the Automotive Division and the Profilform Division) Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

25 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present 2012 In the coming years, voestalpine will invest more than EUR 100 million in new plants in China, the USA, South Africa, Romania, and Germany as part of a comprehensive globalization strategy in the automotive sector. In the USA, ground was broken for the new plant of the Metal Forming Division in Cartersville, Georgia, to produce automobile components. The Group acquired a new company in the special steel segment, thus expanding its market position in North America. After a phase of consolidation in the wake of the financial crisis, investment activity has intensified significantly since the business year 2012/13. The Group took on the construction of a direct reduction plant in Texas, the Group s largest ever investment abroad. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in April Rendering of the new direct reduction plant in Texas Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

26 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present In 2012, the Group s global automotive presence was dramatically expanded with the phs future-directed technology; the Automotive Division entered into the largest individual contract in its history with a leading European automobile manufacturer. A revolutionary development of the patented phs-ultraform technology, a hot-dip galvanized, ultra-highstrength steel for lightweight auto body panels, was presented at the International Automobile Salon in Geneva. The year 2012 was also the 60 th anniversary of the breakthrough by researchers of the then VÖEST that made the LD steelmaking process possible and its development to a process that was ready to be used in production; this process remains a legacy and a model for future generations of researchers. In the business year 2013/14, voestalpine increased expenditures for research and development to a new record of EUR 130 million; this amount is surpassed by a new high of EUR 141 million in 2014/15. With 700 researchers worldwide, voestalpine is an extremely research-intensive company Corporate Communications, Documentation Center

27 voestalpine from the Fall of 2008 up to the Present By 2013, its employees hold a 14% stake of the shares of. It is the largest employee shareholding in Austria. The Group s more than 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents have around 48,000 employees worldwide. In the business year 2013/14, the Group reported revenue of EUR 11.2 billion Corporate Communications, Documentation Center