Usine Gustave Boël
A historic Belgian steelworks in La Louvière whose former flat-products facilities continue under NLMK La Louvière.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Usine Gustave Boël was a major integrated steelworks in La Louvière, in Belgium’s Hainaut province. Its industrial origins date to the mid-nineteenth century, when Ernest Boucquéau established ironmaking and rolling facilities near the Brussels–Charleroi Canal and the Manage–Mons railway route. The works became associated with Gustave Boël after Boucquéau’s death in 1880, when the business passed to the financier and accountant who had earlier helped rescue it from financial difficulties. The plant developed from a regional ironworks into an integrated steel complex. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it included blast furnaces, coke ovens, steelmaking converters, rolling mills, forges, workshops, and facilities for producing railway wheels, axles, and other engineered products. Its formal corporate identity as Usines Gustave Boël was established in 1928. The First World War caused extensive destruction: the works were dismantled and demolished, requiring a substantial reconstruction program after 1919. The rebuilt complex included blast furnaces, coke ovens, Thomas converters, blooming and plate mills, universal rolling equipment, bar and rod mills, and foundry facilities. Expansion continued during the interwar and postwar decades. New sintering, coking, steelmaking, and electric-furnace capacity was added, while blast furnaces were installed or expanded in 1958 and 1972. In the years after the Second World War, employment reached approximately 3,200 workers, including a significant community of Italian immigrants. The company benefited from the postwar expansion of European steel demand but later suffered from the structural steel crisis and industrial contraction. Employment fell from roughly 3,500 in 1985 to about 1,200 in 2002. The company entered a period of ownership and strategic change in the late 1990s. Koninklijke Hoogovens acquired a 50 percent interest in 1997 through HB Holding and obtained an option on the remaining shares, but the proposed rescue financing could not be finalized. The works were sold to Duferco in 1999, with the Walloon government retaining half of the shareholding. Duferco subsequently decided to end primary blast-furnace production; the furnaces were dismantled in the early 2000s. This transformed the site from an integrated iron-and-steel operation into a downstream processing complex. In 2006, Duferco placed its European and United States steel operations into a joint venture with Russia’s NLMK, known as Steel Invest & Finance. At La Louvière, the combined facilities included hot rolling, cold rolling, and wire-rod production. The joint venture ended in 2011, after which NLMK retained the flat-products activities and Duferco retained the long-products operations, including the electric-arc-furnace-related business. Duferco closed its part of the site in 2013, resulting in the loss of approximately 450 jobs. The surviving flat-products operation continued as NLMK La Louvière, producing hot- and cold-rolled steel coil. Accordingly, Usine Gustave Boël is best understood as a historic steelworks and former industrial company rather than an active standalone brand.
History
The steelworks originated in the industrial expansion of La Louvière during the nineteenth century. Ernest Boucquéau established an ironworks in the area in the early 1850s, positioning it beside the Brussels–Charleroi Canal and near the Manage–Mons railway connection. Boucquéau also became involved in railway development, but the financial burden of that venture brought his business close to failure. Gustave Boël, an accountant associated with the enterprise, provided financial assistance. When Boucquéau died in 1880, the works passed to Boël and became identified with his name. By 1897 the works employed about 1,200 people. Before the First World War, the complex had developed blast furnaces, coke ovens, multiple steelmaking units, rolling mills, forges, workshops, and specialist facilities for railway wheels and axles. The First World War destroyed or removed much of the industrial plant. Reconstruction began in 1919 and restored blast-furnace, coke-making, steelmaking, rolling, foundry, and engineering capacity. The company was formally organized as Usines Gustave Boël in 1928. During the 1930s and 1940s the site expanded with additional blast furnaces, coke ovens, a sintering plant, new converters, and an electric arc furnace. Postwar demand supported further growth. Employment reached approximately 3,200 after the Second World War, and the works became an important employer for Italian migrants as well as local workers. Additional blast furnaces were installed in 1958 and 1972. The business prospered until the European steel crisis and subsequent restructuring reduced its workforce and narrowed its industrial scope. The late twentieth century brought ownership changes and the end of integrated ironmaking. In 1997 Koninklijke Hoogovens acquired half of the company through HB Holding, but a proposed state-supported rescue investment was not agreed. Duferco acquired the works in 1999, with the Walloon government holding the other half. Duferco then retired and demolished the site’s blast furnaces, ending primary iron production by the beginning of the twenty-first century. In 2006 Duferco and NLMK formed Steel Invest & Finance, a joint venture covering their steel assets in Europe and the United States. The La Louvière complex supplied downstream hot-rolling, cold-rolling, and wire-rod capacity. The joint venture was dissolved in 2011. NLMK took the flat-products operations, while Duferco retained the long-products business. Duferco closed its remaining operations in 2013, eliminating around 450 jobs. The flat-products line continued as NLMK La Louvière, producing hot- and cold-rolled coil. The Usine Gustave Boël name therefore refers primarily to the historic works and company that preceded the current operating structure.
- 2016
Flat-products operations continue as NLMK La Louvière
[1]The surviving flat-products line operated under the NLMK La Louvière name and produced hot- and cold-rolled coil.
- 2001
Blast-furnace production ends
[1]The primary ironmaking furnaces were demolished in the early 2000s, ending integrated blast-furnace production.
- 1972
Further blast-furnace expansion
[1]Another blast furnace was added before the long-term contraction of the European steel industry.
- 1958
Additional blast-furnace capacity
[1]A further blast furnace was added during the postwar expansion period.
- 1928
Usines Gustave Boël is formally established
[1]The company adopted the formal Usines Gustave Boël identity.
- 1919
Postwar reconstruction begins
[1]After wartime dismantling and destruction, the steelworks began a major rebuilding program.
- 1880
The works pass to Gustave Boël
[1]Following Ernest Boucquéau’s death, the business became the property of Gustave Boël, whose name came to define the works.
- 1851
Founding of the ironworks
[1]The works were founded in La Louvière as Fonderies et Laminoirs Ernest Boucquéau.
Products and positioning
A historically integrated Belgian steel producer that evolved into a downstream flat- and long-products complex before the original Usine Gustave Boël identity disappeared through ownership changes and business closures.
Primary steelmaking
Integrated iron and steel
For much of its history, the works operated as an integrated steel complex with blast furnaces, coke ovens, converters, and associated casting and rolling facilities. This upstream production model ended when Duferco dismantled the blast furnaces in the early 2000s.
Flat steel products
Hot-rolled steel coil
Hot-rolled flat steel was among the downstream products produced at the La Louvière complex. Following the division of the Duferco–NLMK joint venture, the flat-products facilities passed to NLMK and continued under NLMK La Louvière.
Flat steel products
Cold-rolled steel coil
Cold-rolling formed part of the downstream flat-products operation at La Louvière. The line remained in operation after the historical Usine Gustave Boël structure was replaced by successor ownership and branding.
Long steel products
Wire rod and long products
The complex also included wire-rod and other long-products capabilities. These activities were retained by Duferco during the 2011 division of the joint venture but were later closed when Duferco ceased operations at the site in 2013.
Railway components
Railway wheels, axles, and running gear
Earlier generations of the works included foundry and engineering facilities for railway wheels, axles, and running gear, reflecting the plant’s historic links to railway construction and heavy engineering.
Brand decisions
2011
Split the flat- and long-products businessesM&ABackground
The Steel Invest & Finance joint venture between Duferco and NLMK was dissolved.
Action taken
NLMK retained the flat-products facilities, while Duferco retained the long-products activities and associated electric-arc-furnace operations.
Aftermath
NLMK continued the flat-products line as NLMK La Louvière, while Duferco later closed its part of the plant.
2006
Create Steel Invest & Finance with NLMKM&ABackground
Duferco sought to combine its downstream facilities with NLMK’s upstream steel production capacity.
Action taken
The companies formed a joint venture covering steel operations in Europe and the United States, including La Louvière.
Aftermath
The partnership was terminated in 2011, with the La Louvière flat- and long-products operations divided between NLMK and Duferco.
1999
End integrated blast-furnace productionStrategyBackground
The plant faced structural pressure from the European steel crisis and a failed Hoogovens rescue transaction.
Action taken
After acquiring the works, Duferco decided to dismantle the blast furnaces and shift the site away from primary ironmaking toward downstream steel processing.
Aftermath
Blast-furnace demolition took place in the early 2000s, and the site no longer operated as an integrated iron-and-steel works.
Recent events
- 2013
Duferco closes its part of the plant[1]
Bankruptcy · Leadership change
Duferco ceased operations at its part of the La Louvière site, with approximately 450 jobs lost. The remaining flat-products line continued under NLMK.
- 2011
NLMK and Duferco divide the La Louvière operations[1]
M&A
The Steel Invest & Finance partnership ended. NLMK retained the flat-products facilities, while Duferco retained the long-products activities and related electric-arc-furnace operations.
- 2006
Duferco and NLMK establish a steel joint venture[1]
M&A
Duferco and NLMK formed Steel Invest & Finance to combine their European and United States steel operations, including the La Louvière facilities.
- 1999
Duferco acquires the La Louvière works[1]
M&A · Product generation
Following the unsuccessful Hoogovens transaction, the works were sold to Duferco, while the Walloon government retained a 50 percent shareholding. The ownership change was accompanied by a decision to end blast-furnace production.
- 1997
Koninklijke Hoogovens takes a stake in Usine Gustave Boël[1]
M&A
Koninklijke Hoogovens acquired a 50 percent interest in the Belgian steelworks through HB Holding and received an option to acquire the remaining shares. The planned rescue investment did not ultimately proceed.
Sources1 sources
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