COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 331111

Iron and Steel Mills (pt)

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

52companies1731–1999founding years50still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedBuderus AG
1731
FoundedFLSmidth & Co. A/S
1882
FoundedBHP Billiton
1885
FoundedKawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
1896
FoundedGerdau S.A.
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedStelco Inc.
1910
FoundedNKK Corporation
1912
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedIscor LimitedFoundedQuanex Corporation
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedOutokumpu Oyj
1932
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedTosoh Corporation
1935
FoundedCargill, Incorporated
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedHighveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedKentucky Electric Steel, Inc.
1963
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedSteel Authority of India Ltd.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedShanghai Baosteel Group Corporation
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedSeverstal Joint Stock CompanyFoundedSteel Dynamics, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Buderus AG →
Active · founded 1731 · Germany
Buderus AG is the holding company for the German Buderus concern, best known for three main divisions producing steel,…
Buderus AG →
Active · founded 1731 · Germany
Buderus AG is the holding company for the German Buderus concern, best known for three main divisions producing steel,…
FLSmidth & Co. A/S →
Active · founded 1882 · Denmark
1920s:The company launches production of ready-mixer concrete and fiber cement.
FLSmidth & Co. A/S →
Active · founded 1882 · Denmark
1920s:The company launches production of ready-mixer concrete and fiber cement.
BHP Billiton →
Active · founded 1885 · Australia
BHP Billiton was formed through the 2001 merger of Australia's mining and oil giant BHP and U.K.-based mining group…
BHP Billiton →
Active · founded 1885 · Australia
BHP Billiton was formed through the 2001 merger of Australia's mining and oil giant BHP and U.K.-based mining group…
Ispat Inland Inc. →
Active · founded 1893
Ispat Inland Inc.
Ispat Inland Inc. →
Active · founded 1893
Ispat Inland Inc.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Gerdau S.A. →
Active · founded 1901 · Brazil
A fast-rising star on the international steel market, Gerdau S.A.
Gerdau S.A. →
Active · founded 1901 · Brazil
A fast-rising star on the international steel market, Gerdau S.A.
American Cast Iron Pipe Company →
Active · founded 1905
American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), with 242,000 square meters of roofed production space and a daily production…
American Cast Iron Pipe Company →
Active · founded 1905
American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), with 242,000 square meters of roofed production space and a daily production…
Stelco Inc. →
Active · founded 1910 · Canada
Stelco Inc.
Stelco Inc. →
Active · founded 1910 · Canada
Stelco Inc.
NKK Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1912 · Japan
NKK Corporation is one of the world's largest steelmakers and Japan's second largest.
NKK Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1912 · Japan
NKK Corporation is one of the world's largest steelmakers and Japan's second largest.
McWane Corporation →
Active · founded 1921
Birmingham-based McWane Corporation is a holding company with an extensive network of interests in the manufacture of…
McWane Corporation →
Active · founded 1921
Birmingham-based McWane Corporation is a holding company with an extensive network of interests in the manufacture of…
Iscor Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · South Africa
Iscor Limited has surprised the worldwide steel industry by shedding its valuable mining assets--spun off as publicly…
Iscor Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · South Africa
Iscor Limited has surprised the worldwide steel industry by shedding its valuable mining assets--spun off as publicly…
Quanex Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Quanex Corporation is a leading U.S.
Quanex Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Quanex Corporation is a leading U.S.
Smorgon Steel Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 1927 · Australia
Smorgon Steel Group Ltd.
Smorgon Steel Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 1927 · Australia
Smorgon Steel Group Ltd.
Outokumpu Oyj →
Active · founded 1932 · Finland
Late 1940s:Flash Smelting is developed.
Outokumpu Oyj →
Active · founded 1932 · Finland
Late 1940s:Flash Smelting is developed.
Tosoh Corporation →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Tosoh Corporation is one of Japan's leading manufacturers of industrial and specialty chemicals.
Tosoh Corporation →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Tosoh Corporation is one of Japan's leading manufacturers of industrial and specialty chemicals.
Cargill, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
Cargill, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation, operating out of Roanoke, Virginia, converts scrap metal into a variety of merchant…
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation, operating out of Roanoke, Virginia, converts scrap metal into a variety of merchant…
Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited →
Active · founded 1957 · South Africa
Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited is one of South Africa's leading vertically integrated producers of…
Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited →
Active · founded 1957 · South Africa
Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited is one of South Africa's leading vertically integrated producers of…
Kentucky Electric Steel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
Kentucky Electric Steel, Inc.
Kentucky Electric Steel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
Kentucky Electric Steel, Inc.
POSCO →
Active · founded 1968 · Kangnam-ku, Seoul
POSCO, formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company Ltd., is among the world's leading steel producers.
POSCO →
Active · founded 1968 · Kangnam-ku, Seoul
POSCO, formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company Ltd., is among the world's leading steel producers.
Steel Authority of India Ltd. →
Active · founded 1973 · India
The Steel Authority of India Ltd.
Steel Authority of India Ltd. →
Active · founded 1973 · India
The Steel Authority of India Ltd.
Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation →
Active · founded 1978 · China
Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation is the Chinese government-owned holding company for a group of steel, steel…
Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation →
Active · founded 1978 · China
Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation is the Chinese government-owned holding company for a group of steel, steel…
Bayou Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Bayou Steel Corporation operates a steel 'minimill' at its 287-acre site located next to the Mississippi River 35 miles…
Bayou Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Bayou Steel Corporation operates a steel 'minimill' at its 287-acre site located next to the Mississippi River 35 miles…
Severstal Joint Stock Company →
Active · founded 1993 · Russia
Severstal Joint Stock Company, also known as OAO Severstal, is one of Russia's largest steel mills and the center of…
Severstal Joint Stock Company →
Active · founded 1993 · Russia
Severstal Joint Stock Company, also known as OAO Severstal, is one of Russia's largest steel mills and the center of…
Steel Dynamics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Steel Dynamics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Thyssen Krupp AG →
Active · founded 1999 · Germany
Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…
Thyssen Krupp AG →
Active · founded 1999 · Germany
Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…
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