Dr. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann - Schau Verlag Hamburg

technology technology
Growth and diversification in technology
Klöckner-Werke: Salzgitter AG has now increased its stake to 86 percent of capital stock.
The acquisition forms the core of the new “Technology” Division
It all began in the summer of
2006 with a programmatic, but
by no means specific comment
by Dr. Wolfgang Leese, Chairman
of the Executive Board of
Salzgitter AG. To quote from an article
in the Financial Times Deutschland,
“In addition to manufacturing steel and
tubes, the Salzgitter Group intends to
develop a new division to reduce its dependence
on the cyclical steel business.”
Meanwhile the intention has become a
reality: The long-established Klöckner-
Werke AG is now part of the Salzgitter
Group where – together with its subsidiaries
– it now forms the core of the new
“Technology” Division.
Having fulfilled the requisite conditions
and in particular received the necessary
approval by the EU Commission,
effective July 5, 2007, Salzgitter AG ac-
In 1923 the companies amassed by
Peter Klöckner since 1886 in the
coal, steel-making and processing
industries were amalgamated to form
KLÖCKNER-WERKE AG. In the 1960‘s
the Group broadened the scope of its activities
to include plastics processing and
mechanical engineering. Soon after, in
1965, Klöckner Pentaplast began producing
rigid plastic films.
quired a further 78 percent of the shares
in Klöckner-Werke AG, lifting its previous
5 percent stake to 83 percent of capital
stock (STIL reported). This stake
has meanwhile been further increased
to around 86 percent. “As a well-financed
majority shareholder with extensive
industrial experience, Salzgitter
AG will in future play an active role
in shaping the strategic and operational
development of the Klöckner-Werke
Group,” explained Dr. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann,
Salzgitter Executive Board Member
with responsibility for Finance and
Technology. Effective from the same
date, the Klöckner-Werke Group companies
have been integrated into the
financial accounts of Salzgitter AG.
Klöckner-Werke AG is now the nucleus
of a new “Technology” Division established
alongside Salzgitter’s existing Steel,
Some 14 years later a film manufacturing
plant was established by Klöckner
Pentaplast of America. In 1979 the
Group entered the beverage machine industry
with the acquisition of Holstein
and Kappert. This was followed by an increasing
involvement in filling and packaging
technology, as well as automobile
components.
The disposal of the steel production
business in 1994 was followed by a deliberate
process of concentration. By 1999,
the European businesses supplying the
automotive industry and other non-core
activities had been sold as Klöckner-
Werke parted company with units which
entailed high levels of investment and
risk, but offered a comparatively low return
on capital. This was paralleled by a
substantial expansion of the high-yielding
films business in Europe and America.
The range of filling and packaging
technology products and services was
also broadened through acquisitions.
Tubes, Trading and Services Divisions.
Klöckner-Werke AG is itself an industrial
holding company whose subsidiaries
operate on an international basis
with a total of 27 production plants
and 25 sales and service locations. Its
business activities are centered on KHS
AG, Dortmund, which ranks among the
world market leaders in beverage filling
and packaging systems. This business
area accounts for around 86 percent of
Klöckner-Werke Group sales. The company
is also active in the fields of plastics
processing machinery manufacture and
food processing technology.
Klöckner-Werke AG is a quoted company
whose shares are listed on seven
German stock exchanges and in Xetra
trading. The Management Board is
composed of Roland Flach (Chairman),
Maternus Gemmel and Valentin Reisgen.
Klöckner-Werke AG – the history
A stock corporation since 1923 with the emphasis now on filling and packaging technology
KHS is one of the
world market leaders
in filling systems
Against the background of the progressive
globalization of the individual
business areas and their need for growth,
a further step in the concentration process
was taken in 2001. In October that
year the films business comprised by the
Klöckner-Pentaplast Group was sold for
a price of 925 million euros. The proceeds
of the sale were earmarked in particular
for investment in other equity interests.
The Group’s industrial activities today
comprise the companies of the Filling
and Packaging Technology division and
the units that make up the Other Industrial
Holdings division.
Since July 2007 Klöckner-Werke AG
has been a member of the Salzgitter AG
Steel and Technology Group based in
Salzgitter, which holds around 85.6 percent
of Klöckner-Werke AG voting rights.
Cheers! A filling plant for PET bottles in operation
Even large containers
can be filled as well
KHS AG: A global player in
packaging
As one of the world market leaders, KHS has numerous facilities
abroad, in addition to eight plants in Germany
KHS AG, Dortmund – an international
manufacturer of filling and
packaging systems for the beverage,
food, and non-food industries –
was established in 1993 with the merger
of Holstein & Kappert AG of Dortmund,
founded in 1868, and Seitz-Werke GmbH,
which was established in 1887 and later
became SEN AG, Bad Kreuznach. The
company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Klöckner-Werke AG.
In addition to its overseas production plants
in the USA, Mexico, Brazil, India and China,
KHS AG is also maintaining several plants in
Germany. Dortmund is home to the competence
center for cleaning and pasteurization
technology, as well as labeling and inspection
systems. Bad Kreuznach ranks as the center of
competence for beverage technology, combining
the following aspects: Filtration, beverage
blending technology, high-gravity brewing systems,
flash pasteurization and degassing systems,
as well as rinsing, filling and sealing systems
for bottles and cans. The kegging technology
competence center is located in Kriftel. At
its plants in Kleve and Bad Arolsen, KHS
manufactures packing systems with an emphasis
on the most advanced, leading edge final
packaging. In Worms the focus is on palletizing
systems and solutions for both packing
and unpacking. Aseptic cold filling tops
the bill in Hamburg, while KHS in Niederzissen
offers a comprehensive range of inspection
systems for the industry. With a workforce
of more than 5,000 employees worldwide,
the KHS Group today generates sales
approaching one billion euros. KHS is a
world market leader and preferred supplier to
the packaging industry with a focus on beverage
applications and complete plants.
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