History

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In 1870 Albert and Emil Böhler purchased steel from a number of different manufacturers and sold it from their company in Vienna.  Their sales, organisational and logistical skills were such that in 1894 they were able to buy the Kapfenberg crucible steel works in Kapfenberg, Styria.  They modernised the plant, expanded the product range and increased production, establishing the name Böhler and quickly becoming synonymous with the term "The Best in Special Steels".  Innovatively, through a Sales and Customer Service network, unrivalled at the time, the Böhler tradition of being close to the customer was founded, which is still embedded in our culture today.

1446
FIRST HAMMER FORGE IN KAPFENBERG
OWNER: ARNOLD TAUBENPRUNNER
1870
GEBRÜDER BÖHLER & CO WAS FOUNDED IN VIENNA
1872
BÖHLER OPENED A REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN SHEFFIELD, U.K.
1894
ACQUISITION OF KAPFENBERG'S STEEL MILL
1900
BÖHLER DEVELOPED THE REVOLUTIONARY HIGH SPEED STEEL "BÖHLER RAPID"
1908
FIRST 3T ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE
1910
STEAM-POWERED HAMMER "KONSUL" WITH A HAMMER WEIGHT OF 20T
1916
NEW SIEMENS-MARTIN PLANT, SIX 30T FURNACES, EXTENSION OF THE ROLLING MILL, TRIO
1924
BÖHLER BROTHERS & CO SUBSIDIARY OPENED IN LONDON, U.K.
1926
PRODUCTION OF BLANK WELDING WIRE
1927
INVENTION OF CORED WIRE
1938
NEW WORKS BUILT AT DEUCHENDORF
1944
1200T PRESS IN THE FORGING SHOP
1950
AFTER 2 YEARS OF TESTING, THE CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT IN KAPFENBERG STARTED PRODUCTION
1967
DEVELOPMENT AND COMMISSIONING OF THE ESR (ELECTRIC-SLAG-REMELTING) - PLANT
1970
45MN HYDRAULIC PRESS AND SX55 ROTARY FORGING MACHINE WERE PUT INTO OPERATION
1975
BÖHLER, SCHOELLER-BLECKMANN and STEIRISCHE GUSSTAHLWERKE AG WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO FORM "VEREINIGTE EDELSTAHLWERKE AG" (VEW)
1979
UK SUBSIDIARY BECAME KNOWN AS V.E.W. SPECIAL STEELS, OPERATING FROM OLDBURY, NORTON CANES and FARNBOROUGH
1982
UK SUBSIDIARY WAS CENTRALISED AT OLDBURY
1986
VACUUM ARC FURNACE STARTED REMELTING HEAVY-DUTY-MATERIALS
1988
VEREINIGTE EDELSTAHLWERKE AG (VEW) WAS DIVIDED TO FORM BÖHLER GmbH and SCHOELLER-BLECKMANN GmbH
1988
MULTI LINE ROLLING MILL STARTED PRODUCTION OF STEEL BARS
1990
VOEST ALPINE STAHL AG BOUGHT UDDEHOLM AB
1991
THE AUSTRIAN BÖHLER GROUP AND SWEDISH UDDEHOLM GROUP MERGED TO FORM THE "BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM GROUP", CREATING THE WORLD'S LARGEST TOOL STEEL MANUFACTURER WITH AN EXTENSIVE SALES NETWORK FOR SPECIALITY STEEL PRODUCTS

BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG, PARENT COMPANY OF THE GROUP, WAS FOUNDED IN AUSTRIA ON 10TH MAY 1991

THE BÖHLER GROUP WITHIN BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG WAS RE-ORGANISED TO FORM:
· BOHLER EDELSTAHL GMBH
· BÖHLER SCHMIEDETECHNIK GMBH
· BÖHLER SCHWEISSTECHNIK AUSTRIA GMBH
· BÖHLER BLECHE GMBH
· BÖHLER SCHMIEDETECHNIK GMBH
1994
CELEBRATION OF 100 YEARS OF BÖHLER IN KAPFENBERG
1995/96
PRIVATISATION OF BÖHLER UDDEHOLM AG
1999
START OF PRODUCTION AT NEW PLANT FOR POWDER METALLURGY HIGH SPEED AND TOOL STEELS
2000
VACUUM INDUCTION FURNACE (VIM) STARTED MELTING HEAVY-DUTY MATERIALS
2003
COMMISSIONING OF AN AOD-CONVERTER TO INCREASE CAPACITY AND OPTIMISE STEEL PRODUCTION

Today BÖHLER is one of the world's most important companies in the development and production of SPECIAL STEELS and is considered to be one of the world's leading TOOL and HIGH SPEED STEEL manufacturers.

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