COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3312

Steel Works & Blast Furnaces

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

29companies1882–1989founding years29still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedARBED S.A.
1882
FoundedLukens Inc.
1890
FoundedUSX Corporation
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedBethlehem Steel Corporation
1904
FoundedDofasco Inc.
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedNational Steel Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedAllegheny Ludlum Corporation
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPark Corp.
1948
FoundedSouthwire Company, Inc.
1950
FoundedTexas Industries, Inc.
1951
FoundedThe LTV Corporation
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedTalley Industries, Inc.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedChaparral Steel Co.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedAlfa, S.A. de C.V.
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedWeirton Steel Corporation
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedUgine S.A.
1985
FoundedABC Rail Products Corporation
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedRepublic Engineered Steels, Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
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.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

ARBED S.A. →
Active · founded 1882 · Luxembourg
ARBED S.A., based in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, heads an international group of 189 companies engaged in every…
Lukens Inc. →
Active · founded 1890
Lukens Inc.
The Timken Company →
Active · founded 1899
The Timken Company is the world's largest manufacturer of tapered roller bearings.
USX Corporation →
Active · founded 1901
USX Corporation is an international diversified energy and steel-manufacturing company.
Bethlehem Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1904
Bethlehem Steel Corporation is the second largest steel producer in the United States, with control of supply sources,…
Laclede Steel Company →
Active · founded 1911
A leading scrap steel manufacturer, Laclede Steel Company manufactures carbon and alloy steel products, including pipe…
Dofasco Inc. →
Active · founded 1912 · Canada
Dofasco Inc.
Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Oregon Steel Mills, Inc., produces a wide range of specialty and commodity steel products.
National Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
The fourth largest steel producer in the United States, National Steel Corporation produces hot and cold rolled steel…
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of specialty steel and other specialty metals in the…
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., operates one of the largest scrap metal recycling businesses in the United States,…
Park Corp. →
Active · founded 1948
Founded by Raymond P.
Southwire Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1950
Southwire Company, Inc., is the largest manufacturer of copper and aluminum rod, wire, and cable in the United States.
Elano Corporation →
Active · founded 1951
Elano Corporation is one of the most successful manufacturers of castings, pipings, tubings, and various other…
Texas Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Texas Industries, Inc.
Nucor Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Nucor Corporation is the second-largest steel manufacturer in the United States.
The LTV Corporation →
Active · founded 1956
The LTV Corporation is the third largest steel producer in the United States.
Talley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Talley Industries Inc.
North Star Steel Company →
Active · founded 1965
As the core business of Cargill, Inc.'s worldwide steel operations, North Star Steel Company has exploited its early…
Chaparral Steel Co. →
Active · founded 1973
Named after the roadrunner that darts over the rolling hills of central Texas, Chaparral Steel Co.
Alfa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1974 · Mexico
Alfa, S.A.
Cockerill Sambre Group →
Active · founded 1981 · Belgium
One of the largest industrial groups in Belgium, the Cockerill Sambre Group is a medium-sized integrated steelmaking…
Weirton Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
The fortunes of Weirton, West Virginia, a quintessential company town, have fallen and risen with those of Weirton…
Birmingham Steel Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Birmingham Steel Corporation is the second-largest publicly held minimill in the United States.
Ugine S.A. →
Active · founded 1985 · France
Ugine S.A.
ABC Rail Products Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
A leader in the engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of original and replacement products for the freight…
Geneva Steel →
Active · founded 1987
Geneva Steel is the only integrated steel mill operating west of the Mississippi River.
Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Republic Engineered Steels, Inc.
Rouge Steel Company →
Active · founded 1989
The Rouge Steel Company began as an integral part of Henry Ford's sprawling River Rouge automobile plant, built during…
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