Category Archives: Other

Dörrenberg Edelstahl

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A small steel mill with a long history. Dörrenberg Edelstahl in Engelskirchen-Ründeroth, Germany produces ingots, steel castings and investment castings.
Images now on my website.
The steel mill in Engelskirchen-Ründeroth was purchased by the Dörrenberg brothers in 1869 and subsequently became a leading producer of high alloyed tool steels.
A crucible steel making shop, hammer forges and mechanical shops were installed.
In 1916 an open hearth melt shop was commissioned.
The first induction furnaces used for steel production in Germany were built in 1928 in Ründeroth.
The electric arc furnace was commisioned in 1951. All forging activities ended in 1992. Since 1996 Dörrenberg Edelstahl is part of the Gesco-Group.

Foundry Capital

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Velbert, Germany in the 1960ies was a busy town mainly living of it’s more than 30 foundries. 7000 people produced mostly small iron castings for household appliances, keys and the car industry.
Gestaguss is the last survivor of this once thriving business.
Further viewing at Stahlseite.
The Gestaguss foundry in Velbert was established in 1919 under the name Bergisch-Märkisches Eisenwerk (BME).
The BME specialized in malleable iron castings. Domestic appliances like meat grinders were built at their own workshop.
After 1990 the foundry filed bancruptcy several times and was taken over by the Gestaguss group in 2011.
The foundry produces castings with a weight of up to 30 kg from two cold blast cupola furnaces. It is one of the last malleable iron producers in Germany.

It’s Over

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Nirosta Krefeld

The Nirosta Krefeld melt shop was closed on Friday, 6th of December  after more than 110 years of steel making.
I had the chance for a last visit three weeks before.
Now at my website.
The steel mill in Krefeld, Germany was established in 1900 by Carl Spaeter, Peter Klöckner and August Thyssen under the name Krefelder Stahlwerk AG. Open hearth steel production started in 1901. In 1907 three rolling mills were installed. In 1911 a tube mill was added. A forging press went into production in 1917.
In 1927 the Krefeld mill became part of the speciality steel group Deutsche Edelstahlwerke AG out of Bochum, Germany.
The first electric arc furnace was installed in 1930.
The new melt shop number 3 including two 70 ton electric arc furnaces was built by DEMAG in 1952.

Nirosta Krefeld

A new wire mill started rolling in 1963.Open hearth steel making ceased in 1970.The year 1971 saw the complete takeover by the August Thyssen Hütte AG from Duisburg.
The new name from 1974 on was Thyssen Edelstahlwerke AG the Krefeld mill was merged now with Edelstahlwerk Witten AG.
In 1977 the first of two 80 ton AOD-converters was installed by the GHH company.Two rolling mills were closed in 1982.
In 1985 one electric arc furnace was modernised and the other one closed down. In 1989 the old melt shop NO 1 (30 ton furnace) was closed.The wire mill was shut down in 1993.
A new name in 1994: Edelstahlwerke Witten-Krefeld GmbH.
Krefeld merged with Krupp’s Bochum based stainless steel mill to form Krupp Thyssen Nirosta GmbH in 1995.
All forging activities in Krefeld came to EWK (now Deutsche Edelstahlwerke). A strip caster was installed in 2001.
VAI Siemens installed two new 80 ton AOD-converters in 2009.
The Finnish Outokumpu group takes over the Nirosta mills (now called Inoxum) in 2012.

 

Big Cupola IV

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MeierGuss

This is the old Carlshütte in Limburg, Germany, better known as Buderus Eisenwerke for more than a century.
The company was founded in 1900 by Carl Schlenck from Nürnberg.
In 1907 the Buderus company took the mill over to produce sewer and drainage castings.
Four cupola furnaces were installed. During world war II. a converter for steel castings was in use.
During the 1950ies and 60ies more than 1200 people were employed.
In 1979 a new hot blast cupola furnace was built.
In 2009 the former Buderus Kanalguss was bought by the MeierGuss group.
Further images.

Big Cupola III

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heinrich Meier Giesserei
Though not as large as the Fritz Winter furnaces this hot blast cupola still churns out more than 30 tons of cast iron each hour.
Heinrich Meier Eisengiesserei in Rahden, Germany was built in 1960.
In 1987 the new cupola furnace was installed by the Küttner company from Essen.
Main products are manhole covers and drainage systems.
Further viewing.

Another Survivor

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PSW rolling mill

ESW Röhrenwerke in Eschweiler close to Aachen, Germany is the last survivor of the once huge Eschweiler Bergwerksverein (EBV) combine of coal mines and steel plants and it runs the only planetary tube rolling mill in Europe.
Further images.
The tube mill  was founded in 1914 by the Eschweiler- Ratinger Maschinenbauaktiengesellschaft (ERMAG). In 1917 an open hearth shop was added to ensure the steel supply. In 1924 the plant was taken over by the Eschweiler Bergwerksverein (EBV), a mining company mostly owned by ARBED from Luxemburg. Pig iron was now supplied by the nearby EBV blast furnaces (Concordiahütte). In 1957 a new electric arc melt shop was built on ground of the now dismantled blast furnace site. In 1964 a continuous caster was added.
An new innovative planetary tube rolling mill (PSW) gradually replaced the outdated pilger rolling mills in 1976.
In 1984 the site was sold to the Maxhütte steel company from Bavaria. The EAF melt shop closed in 1986 and one year later the Maxhütte went bancrupt. In order to save the new tube rolling mill the former plant manager, among others, took the mill over in 1987.ESW Röhrenwerke produces seamless steel tubes for the oil and gas industry,  boilers and engineering.

Big Cupola II

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Fritz Winter Eisengiesserei

The Fritz Winter iron foundry in Stadtallendorf, Germany operates one of the largest foundry melt shops worldwide. Two hot blast cupola furnaces and ten induction furnaces can melt up to 2800 tons of iron each day.
The company was founded in 1951 on ground of a former explosives factory.
Today the plant is the largest independent foundry in Europe employing 3500 people.
Main product are engine blocks and brake discs for the car industry.
Further images at Stahlseite.

 

Big Cupola

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Eisenwerk Brühl


Eisenwerk Brühl south of Cologne, Germany runs one of the largest cupola furnaces in Europe.
Installed in 1981 it delivers 90 tons of hot metal each hour.
Up to 26000 engine blocks can be casted daily.
The foundry was established in 1927 by Georg and Maria Sandmann.
Right from the start the main products were cast iron engine blocks for the car industry.
It is said that one out of five blocks in the world comes from Brühl.
Further images.