History

The locations of Saarstahl AG not only have a long tradition but have also contributed to the shaping of the creation of history in the region. The Neunkirchen plant was mentioned as early as 1593. This makes it Saarstahl AG's location with the richest in tradition and, at the same time, it is even the oldest steelmaking location in Germany that is still active today. Burbach and Völklingen are both younger, having been founded in 1856 and 1873 as part of the increasing industrialisation of Germany. Each of the three steelworks then rapidly developed and, during the 20th century, they rose to become renowned large-scale enterprises with several thousand employees. In the 1970s, it started to make sense to combine forces. The current locations merged to a company that has had the name Saarstahl AG since 1989 and has made a name for itself as a global manufacturer of long products.

Key data for the history of the Völklingen location

Year Event
1881 Purchase of the Völklingen steelworks founded in 1873 by the Röchling family
1890 The Völklinger Steelworks is one of the largest manufacturers of iron girders in Germany
1900 The gas blowers of the Völklingen steelworks are the first in the world to be operated with blast furnace gas
1971 Merger of the Völklinger steelworks with the Burbacher steelworks to form the “Stahlwerke Röchling-Burbach GmbH”
1973 One of the most high-performance wire-rod mills goes into operation in Burbach
1980 In Völklingen, a new basic oxygen steelmaking plant with continuous casting machines goes into operation
1981 Founding of ROGESA and ZKS
1982 Merger of the “Stahlwerke Röchling-Burbach GmbH” with the “Neunkircher Eisenwerk AG” to form “ARBED SAARSTAHL GmbH”

 

Key data for the history of the Burbach location

Year Event
1856 Founding of the Burbach steelworks
1885 Start of production of wrought iron railway tracks in Burbach
1911 The Burbacher steelworks becomes part of the shareholding company Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange, Société Anonyme - Vereinigte Hüttenwerke Burbach-Eich-Düdelingen AG
1971 Merger of the Völklingen steelworks with the Burbach steelworks to form “Stahlwerke Röchling-Burbach GmbH”

 

Key data for the history of the Neunkirchen location

Year Event
1593 The Neunkircher steelworks are first mentioned in a document
1806 Acquisition of the Neunkirchen steelworks by the Stumm family
1845 Mass production of the first iron railway tracks begins in the Neunkircher steelworks
1920 Founding of the “Neunkircher Eisenwerk AG vormals Gebrüder Stumm”
1972 The combined wire rod and bar mill goes into operation in the Neunkirchen ironworks
1982 Merger of the “Stahlwerke Röchling-Burbach GmbH” with the “Neunkircher Eisenwerk AG” to form “ARBED-Saarstahl GmbH”