Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik
Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik is a German industrial-engineering company known for coke-production equipment and industrial locomotives.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik is a German engineering company rooted in the industrial development of Schalke, now part of Gelsenkirchen. Its origins date to 1872, when Friedrich Grillo founded Vogelsang & Co. with financial backing from the Grevel family. The enterprise was renamed Gewerkschaft Schalker Eisenhütte in 1886, establishing the Schalker Eisenhütte name that became associated with machinery for mining, coking and industrial rail transport. The company’s early specialization was the mechanization of coke production. In 1882 it produced its first machine for pushing coke from an oven. By 1900, its product range had expanded to include equipment such as coke wagons and locomotives, allowing the company to serve the increasingly mechanized coal and steel industries of the Ruhr region. This combination of process equipment and rail vehicles remained central to its identity for much of the twentieth century. In 1937, Schalker Eisenhütte began manufacturing electrically powered mining locomotives using equipment supplied by AEG, BBC and Siemens. These vehicles were suited to underground and industrial environments in which electric traction offered operational advantages over steam or conventional diesel power. The factory was heavily damaged during two bombing raids in the Second World War. After the war, the business rebuilt and continued operating principally in coke-oven equipment and industrial locomotives. Eickhoff of Bochum acquired the company in 1968. Under Eickhoff ownership, Schalker Eisenhütte continued to operate as a specialized industrial manufacturer rather than as a mass-market consumer brand. Its activities were concentrated in technically demanding applications for mines, coking plants, industrial railways and related heavy-industry facilities. At the end of the 2000s, the company attempted to broaden its locomotive business by developing the SDE 1800, its first main-line locomotive. The four-axle Bo'Bo' diesel-electric design featured an off-centre cab and installed power of up to 1.8 MW, and was intended for freight and shunting duties. The prototype was completed in 2011. According to the company works council and IG Metall, the project was too large for the company and development expenditure contributed to losses accumulated from 2010 onward. In August 2012, the business was restructured after cumulative losses were reported at approximately €20 million. The workforce was reduced: about 155 of approximately 210 employees were expected to transfer to other Eickhoff group companies, while around 25 positions were reportedly eliminated. The available reference material does not establish the company’s current operating status, later ownership changes or a complete present-day product portfolio.
History
Schalker Eisenhütte Maschinenfabrik emerged from the industrial expansion of Schalke in the Ruhr region. Friedrich Grillo founded Vogelsang & Co. in 1872 with support from the Grevel family. The firm adopted the name Gewerkschaft Schalker Eisenhütte in 1886. Its early work was closely connected to coal, coke and steel production, industries that required increasingly mechanized systems for handling raw materials and processing coke. The company made its first coke-oven pushing machine in 1882. By 1900 it was producing a broader range of equipment for mechanized coke production, including coke wagons and locomotives. This established a business model combining stationary plant machinery with specialized rail vehicles for industrial sites. In 1937, the company entered production of electrically powered mining locomotives, using electrical equipment from AEG, BBC and Siemens. The factory suffered severe damage in two bombing raids during the Second World War. Following the war, Schalker Eisenhütte rebuilt and returned to its principal activities: coke-oven equipment and industrial locomotives. Eickhoff of Bochum acquired the business in 1968, bringing it into the Eickhoff group while preserving its specialized engineering role. In the late 2000s, Schalker Eisenhütte pursued a larger railway opportunity with the SDE 1800. The prototype, completed in 2011, was a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive with an off-centre cab and power of up to 1.8 MW. It was designed for freight and shunting work and was described as the company's first main-line locomotive. Company labor representatives later argued that the project exceeded the scale the business could absorb and that development spending contributed to losses from 2010 onward. The company underwent restructuring in August 2012. Reports cited cumulative losses of about €20 million, transfers of most of the workforce to other Eickhoff businesses and the elimination of approximately 25 jobs. The supplied reference material does not provide enough information to confirm the company's subsequent legal, operational or ownership status.
- 2012
Restructuring and workforce reduction
[1]The company restructured after reported losses, transferring many employees to other Eickhoff group companies and eliminating additional positions.
- 2011
SDE 1800 prototype completed
[1]The prototype of the SDE 1800 diesel-electric freight and shunting locomotive was completed.
- 1968
Acquired by Eickhoff
[1]Eickhoff of Bochum acquired Schalker Eisenhütte.
- 1937
Electric mining locomotive production begins
[1]Schalker Eisenhütte began producing electrically powered mining locomotives with equipment from AEG, BBC and Siemens.
- 1900
Expanded coke-production equipment range
[1]By this point the company was manufacturing mechanization equipment for coke production, including coke wagons and locomotives.
- 1886
Renamed Gewerkschaft Schalker Eisenhütte
[1]The enterprise adopted the name Gewerkschaft Schalker Eisenhütte.
- 1882
First coke-pushing machine
[1]The company produced its first machine designed to push coke out of a coke oven.
- 1872
Vogelsang & Co. is founded
[1]Friedrich Grillo founded Vogelsang & Co. in Schalke, Gelsenkirchen, with backing from the Grevel family.
Products and positioning
A specialized heavy-industry engineering manufacturer serving mining, coking, steel and industrial-railway applications, with particular historical expertise in coke-production machinery and locomotives.
Coke-production equipment · 1882
Coke-oven pushing machines
Schalker Eisenhütte produced its first machine for pushing coke from a coke oven in 1882. This equipment formed part of the company's broader contribution to mechanizing coke production and reflected its close relationship with the coal, coke and steel industries of the Ruhr region.
Coking-plant equipment · 1900
Coke wagons and coke-production machinery
By around 1900, the company manufactured a range of machinery used in mechanized coke production. The range included coke wagons and related equipment for handling material around coke ovens, extending the company from individual machines into broader industrial-process solutions.
Mining locomotives · 1937
Electric mining locomotives
Beginning in 1937, Schalker Eisenhütte produced electrically powered locomotives for mining applications. The locomotives used electrical equipment supplied by AEG, BBC and Siemens and were part of the company's long-running specialization in vehicles for demanding industrial environments.
Main-line diesel-electric locomotive · 2011
SDE 1800
The SDE 1800 was Schalker Eisenhütte's first main-line locomotive. Its prototype was completed in 2011. The four-axle Bo'Bo' diesel-electric design used an off-centre cab and offered up to 1.8 MW of installed power. It was intended for freight and shunting duties, although the project later became associated with financial pressure and restructuring.
Brand decisions
2012
Restructuring within the Eickhoff groupStrategyBackground
The company faced reported cumulative losses of approximately €20 million, with labor representatives linking financial pressure partly to the SDE 1800 development project.
Action taken
The business reduced its workforce and planned to transfer approximately 155 of about 210 employees to other Eickhoff group companies.
Aftermath
Approximately 25 positions were reportedly lost. The supplied material does not establish the company's later operational outcome.
Cumulative reported losses. Approximately €20 million (By August 2012)
2011
Development of the SDE 1800 locomotiveProduct launchBackground
The company sought to extend its established industrial-locomotive business into main-line freight and shunting vehicles.
Action taken
Schalker Eisenhütte developed and completed a prototype of the four-axle SDE 1800 diesel-electric locomotive.
Aftermath
The works council and IG Metall later argued that the project was too large for the company and that its development costs contributed to losses.
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