History
2005 - Edelstahlwerke Buderus AG gets part of Böhler-Uddeholm AG
Acquisition of Edelstahlwerke Buderus AG by Böhler-Uddeholm AG. Edelstahlwerke Buderus AG gets part of the world’s largest tool steel manufacturer with a dedicated sales network for specialty steel products.
2002 - Further increase in tool steel capacity
Additions to plant and equipment again reached a high level with a value of € 21.9 million.
Edelstahlwerke Buderus AG was successfully certified to DIN EN ISO 14001 (environment management system).
1995 - 75th anniversary celebrations
At the end of June, Edelstahlwerke Buderus celebrated its 75th anniversary with its customers and employees and their families.
Investment concentrated on continuing the "rationalisation of crude steel production" project.
1981 - Investment priority - hot rolling mill
Investment was concentrated on the process of further upgrading the hot rolling mill started in the previous year. This included replacing the 780 three-high blooming stand by an 850 two-high reversing stand, and installing a twin row pusher-type ingot and slab furnace.
Another investment project included improving energy efficiency by utilizing waste heat from the steel mill, rolling mill and hammer mill.
1977 - Introduction of Buderus ISO-B steels
An important milestone in the quality enhancement of Edelstahlwerke Buderus products was the launch of Buderus ISO-B steels. Using refined metallurgical processes for deoxidizing and desulfurizing steel melts successfully enabled the improvement of the oxidic and sulfidic percentage purity to achieve quasi-isotropic mechanical quality characteristics. The ISO-B steels are particularly suitable as tool steels, especially hot working steels.
1973 - Rolling hot strip and steel bar from the first heat
The hot-rolling mill investment programme started in the previous year for rolling hot strip and steel bar from the first heat was completed.
Crude steel production at Edelstahlwerke Buderus increased to 225,500 tonnes. 139,700 tonnes of this was electric steel and 85,800 tonnes was open-hearth steel. The proportion of alloy grades reached 62.4 percent.
1965 - Acquisition of Röchling's holding by Buderus; new company
At the beginning of the year Buderus iron works acquired fifty percent of the share capital of Röchling iron and steel works. The new company name has since that date been Edelstahlwerke Buderus AG.
1962 - Highest level of investment in the company's history to date
The company responded to the double challenge of cost increases on the one hand and increasingly intense competition combined with declining sales and prices on the other, by further modernizing its production plant. The level of investment reached DM 14.7 million, the highest level in the company's history.
The main targets of investment were modernizing the rolling mill.
1949 - Production of Anoxin sheet steel, and successful enhancement of the oxygen smelting process
Start of production of Anoxin steel sheet (equivalent to the Krupp V2A-material, for which the Röchling-Buderus steel works had a licence). The Röchling-Buderus steel works succeed in improving the oxygen smelting process adopted from the USA.
1945 - Post-war reconstruction
Production had come to a standstill by the end of the war, and was resumed with recommissioning of the plate rolling mill in July. Metal sheet for covering bomb-damaged houses in Wetzlar and the surrounding area were manufactured from remaining materials from arms production.
1939 - New steel mill comes on stream
The new steel mill established adjoining the rolling mill since 1937 came on stream in the middle of the year. As well as an open-hearth furnace with a capacity of 30 tonnes, another new 15-tonne electric furnace was installed here, in addition to a 5-tonne and a 10-tonne electric furnace from the previous steel mill on the Buderus iron works site.
1930 - Completion of the expansion programme, and concentration on special fields
The expansion programme started in 1927 was completed.
The first expansion phase increased the capacity of the two open-hearth furnaces to 22 tonnes each. Output was then increased in the rolling mill as well by investing in expansion and technical improvements.
1924 - The company was renamed "Stahlwerke Röchling-Buderus Aktiengesellschaft", and a hammer mill came on stream
On 29 December, immediately before the Saar district was transferred to French domestic customs territory, the company was renamed from "Stahlwerke Buderus-Röchling Aktiengesellschaft" to "Stahlwerke Röchling-Buderus Aktiengesellschaft".
A hammer mill was established in Wetzlar to supplement the hammer mill in Dorsten.
1920 - Steel works joint venture established under the name "Stahlwerke Buderus-Röchling Aktiengesellschaft"
The Buderus-Röchling steel works was formed by the Röchling iron and steel works and the Buderus iron works located in Wetzlar.The Buderus iron works in Wetzlar and the Röchling iron and steel works Völklingen each had a 50% holding in the share capital of 30 million marks. The small Dorsten electric steel plant in Westphalia acquired by Röchling in late 1919 was incorporated in the new company, and the Buderus steel works in Wetzlar that had existed since 1915 was taken over on a leasehold basis.
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