BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM at a Glance
Leading international specialty steel and materials company with a focus on four divisions:
Production sites in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, USA, Mexico, China and Indonesia and heat treatment operations worldwide.
Products and services sold in roughly 100 countries on all continents, wholly owned sales subsidiaries in nearly 50 markets.
Worldwide market leader in tool steel (High Performance Metals Division), bimetallic strips, cutting and creasing rules, rule die steel (Precision Strip Division), and blades for gas and steam turbines (Special Forgings Division); worldwide number 2 in high-speed steel (High Performance Metals Division) and worldwide number 4 in welding materials (Welding Consumables Division).
More than 100,000 customers throughout the world; key customers include the automotive and automotive supplier industries, tool and machinery manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, consumer goods and electronics industries, wood and saw industries, textile and paper industries, steel and apparatus construction, chemicals and petrochemicals, power generation, oilfield technology and plant construction.
Primary sales markets: Europe, America and Asia. The Group is one of few European steel manufacturers with a presence in Asian markets, where it has been active for more than 60 years. The Group’s largest single market is Germany followed by Brazil and the USA.
The most important product is tool steel (High Performance Metals Division), which includes cold work steel, hot work steel and plastics molding steel.
The Group is a classic niche supplier: the worldwide use of tool steel equals roughly 0.1% of total annual steel demand of approximately 1.3 billion tons.
Tool steel is not a mass product; important are quality features such as high wear and corrosion resistance, toughness, dimensional stability during heat treatment as well as excellent machinability and polishing qualities.
The key business driver for tool steel is the introduction of new models (autos, electronic equipment, household appliances, etc.). These model changeovers require new moulds and tools which, in turn, are made of tool steel.
The BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM share was first listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange on 10 April 1995 in the key ATX Prime segment and was included in the ATX Segment until 20 June 2008. Subsequently, the share was listed in the Prime Market segment. Since November 2003 the Company has been fully privatized. On 8 June 2006, a 1:4 share split was carried out.
In June 2007 voestalpine AG acquired a majority stake in BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG, which now forms the second largest division in this group. voestalpine’s holding in BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM passed the 90% threshold in March 2008, and voestalpine has consequently announced its intention to initiate the steps required for a squeeze-out procedure that will lead to the buyout of the remaining BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM shareholders. The financial year of BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM was changed from 1 April to 31 March, and the 2007/08 Business Year therefore comprises 15 months (1 January 2007 – 31 March 2008) as a one-off effect.
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