Wickeder Westfalenstahl

Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH (WIWE) is a German mid-sized manufacturer of metallic semi-finished products and the parent company of the Wickeder Group. The group operates production and sales sites in Europe, America and Asia, and describes itself as a development partner for demanding metal technologies — from semi-finished materials to complex assemblies. Its three business fields cover functional materials (clad materials, thermobimetals, metal strip, precision metal foils), micro components (filters, sieves, perforated strip, bipolar plates for fuel cells, heating elements, heat exchangers, needles, functional surfaces) and metal technology (CNC sheet processing, laser cutting, machining, forming, surface technology). The company was entered in the commercial register on 25 October 1913 as "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH, Präzisionszieherei und Kaltwalzwerk", founded by the merchant Bernhard Bauer from Letmathe in Wickede (Ruhr). It patented the cladding of iron strip with aluminium in 1920. After the Möhne disaster in 1943 and the total dismantling of production facilities in 1948, reconstruction and provisional resumption of manufacturing followed in 1949. In 1964 the companies "Kaltwalzwerke Ebbinghaus & Co." and "Kraft & Co." were acquired and continued together as "Westfalenstahl Kalt- und Profilwalzwerke GmbH". In 1969 Wickeder Westfalenstahl developed cold-rolled strip for shadow masks — etched components in colour picture tube televisions — and began producing them. First coloured claddings (Cufer, Brafer, Tomfer) followed in 1978 and first stainless steel claddings in 1985. The merger of "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH" with "Westfalenstahl GmbH" to form "Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH" took place in 1993, followed in 1994 by the acquisition of "Kaltwalzwerk Risse". Since 2002 the company has had a US production site, Wickeder Steel Company (about 50 employees) in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where strip steel is hardened. In 2006 the newly founded company MICROMETAL, in which Wickeder Westfalenstahl is a shareholder, began producing micro-precision components by wet-chemical etching in the Müllheim industrial area. With the acquisition of the American company EMS in 2007, another subsidiary was added, giving the company production sites on three continents. Auerhammer Metallwerk was acquired in 2014. In 2015 the company sold Wickeder Steel Company, divesting its cold-rolled strip division to focus on its core businesses of clad materials and thermobimetals. The Wickeder Group's customer industries include the energy sector, automotive, household appliances, electrical and electronics, medical technology, and mechanical and plant engineering. Cladding is a permanently bonded composite of two different metallic layers created under very high pressure, producing property combinations that a single material cannot achieve. The best-known examples of a clad composite are the 1- and 2-euro coins, made of copper alloys (cladding strip) and nickel (core strip). Copper-stainless steel composites are used, among other things, for cookware: the copper as outer material provides good heat distribution, the stainless steel ensures food safety inside pots and pans. In the electrical sector, copper-aluminium composites are often used because there is almost no contact resistance between Al and Cu, and because they exploit a weight advantage of up to 70% compared with solid copper as well as good electrical and thermal conductivity and good heat transport. The group's portfolio comprises clad materials, thermobimetals, rods and wires of nickel and nickel alloys, nickel-based metal strip, metallic foils, and etched micro-precision components. Group companies include Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH (Wickede), Auerhammer Metallwerk GmbH (Aue), Engineered Materials Solutions (Attleboro, MA, USA; Hamburg, PA, USA; Special Alloys China, Suzhong) and Micrometal GmbH (Müllheim, Baden).

Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH (WIWE) traces its origins to 25 October 1913, when the company founded by the merchant Bernhard Bauer from Letmathe was entered in the commercial register in Wickede (Ruhr) under the name "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH, Präzisionszieherei und Kaltwalzwerk". In 1920, to protect against imitation, a patent was opened for the cladding of iron strip with aluminium. The company's further development was temporarily interrupted by the Möhne disaster in 1943 and the total dismantling of production facilities in 1948. Reconstruction and a provisional resumption of manufacturing followed in 1949. In 1964 the companies "Kaltwalzwerke Ebbinghaus & Co." and "Kraft & Co." were acquired and continued together as "Westfalenstahl Kalt- und Profilwalzwerke GmbH". In 1969 Wickeder Westfalenstahl developed cold-rolled strip for shadow masks — etched components in colour picture tube televisions — and began producing them. First coloured claddings (Cufer, Brafer, Tomfer) were successfully produced in 1978, followed by first stainless steel claddings in 1985. The merger of the two works "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH" and "Westfalenstahl GmbH" to form "Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH" took place in 1993. In the following year the company also acquired "Kaltwalzwerk Risse". Since 2002 Wickeder Westfalenstahl has had a manufacturing site in the USA through "Wickeder Steel Company" (about 50 employees) in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where strip steel is hardened. In 2006 the newly founded company "MICROMETAL", in which Wickeder Westfalenstahl is a shareholder, began producing initial micro-precision components by wet-chemical etching in the Müllheim industrial area. With the acquisition of the American company "EMS" in 2007, another subsidiary was added; since then the company has had production sites on three continents. Auerhammer Metallwerk was acquired in 2014. In 2015 the company sold Wickeder Steel Company, separating itself from its cold-rolled strip division to focus on its core businesses of clad materials and thermobimetals. Today Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH is the parent company of the Wickeder Group, a mid-sized manufacturer of metallic semi-finished products with eight sites in Germany, the USA and China. The group's portfolio comprises clad materials, thermobimetals, rods and wires of nickel and nickel alloys, nickel-based metal strip, metallic foils, and etched micro-precision components. Group companies include Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH (Wickede), Auerhammer Metallwerk GmbH (Aue), Engineered Materials Solutions (Attleboro, MA, USA; Hamburg, PA, USA; Special Alloys China, Suzhong) and Micrometal GmbH (Müllheim, Baden).

• 2015

  Sale of Wickeder Steel Company; separation from the cold-rolled strip division to focus on clad materials and thermobimetals.

• 2014

  Acquisition of Auerhammer Metallwerk.

• 2007

  Acquisition of the American company EMS; production sites now on three continents.

• 2006

  Newly founded MICROMETAL, with Wickeder Westfalenstahl as shareholder, begins producing micro-precision components by wet-chemical etching in Müllheim.

• 2002

  US manufacturing site Wickeder Steel Company (about 50 employees) established in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, for hardening strip steel.

• 1994

  Acquisition of "Kaltwalzwerk Risse".

• 1993

  Merger of "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH" and "Westfalenstahl GmbH" to form "Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH".

• 1985

  First stainless steel claddings successfully produced.

• 1978

  First coloured claddings (Cufer, Brafer, Tomfer) successfully produced.

• 1969

  Development and production of cold-rolled strip for shadow masks in colour picture tube televisions.

• 1964

  Acquisition of "Kaltwalzwerke Ebbinghaus & Co." and "Kraft & Co.", continued together as "Westfalenstahl Kalt- und Profilwalzwerke GmbH".

• 1949

  Reconstruction and provisional resumption of manufacturing.

• 1948

  Total dismantling of production facilities.

• 1943

  Möhne disaster temporarily interrupts the company's development.

• 1920

  Patent opened for the cladding of iron strip with aluminium.

• 1913

  Company founded by merchant Bernhard Bauer entered in the commercial register in Wickede (Ruhr) as "Wickeder Eisen- und Stahlwerk GmbH, Präzisionszieherei und Kaltwalzwerk".

Development partner for demanding metal technologies, from semi-finished materials to complex assemblies, with production on three continents.

• Clad materials

  Permanently bonded composites of two different metallic layers created under very high pressure, producing property combinations a single material cannot achieve. Best-known examples are the 1- and 2-euro coins (copper alloy cladding, nickel core).

• Thermobimetals

  Composite metals that change shape with temperature, used in electrical and thermal applications.

• Rods and wires of nickel and nickel alloys

  Semi-finished nickel-based products.

• Nickel-based metal strip

  Metal strip on a nickel basis.

• Metallic foils

  Precision metal foils.

• Etched micro-precision components

  Micro components produced by wet-chemical etching, including filters, sieves, perforated strip, bipolar plates for fuel cells, heating elements, heat exchangers, needles and functional surfaces.

1. 1Best of Metal – Ihr Lösungspartner | Wickeder Groupwickeder-group.com
2. 2Unsere Fertigungsverfahren | Wickeder Groupwickeder-group.com
3. 3Zuverlässige Metalllieferung & -logistik weltweit | Wickeder Groupwickeder-group.com
4. 4Engineering und Prototyping | Wickeder Groupwickeder-group.com
5. 5Wickeder Westfalenstahlwikidata.org
6. 6Wickeder Westfalenstahlde.wikipedia.org