Norddeutsche Hütte
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Formerly called
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Klockner Hutte Bremen (Klockner Werke AG) (1957) Klockner Stahl GmbH (1986) Stahlwerke Bremen GmbH (1994) Arcelor Bremen GmbH (2006) |
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| Industry | Steel |
| Predecessor | Norddeutsche Hütte (1911) |
| Website | bremen.arcelormittal.com |
ArcelorMittal Bremen is a steelworks on the banks of the River Weser in Bremen, Germany.
An ironworks was established on the site in 1911 as Norddeutschen Hütte - much of the works was destroyed or dismanteled during and immediately after the end of the Second World War. In 1957 steel group Klockner established a new steel works on the same site, Klockner Hutte Bremen. After growth during the 1960s and 1970s the business began to experience financial problems, and in 1the early 1990s Klockner became effectively bankrupt. In 1994 the steelworks at Bremen was acquired by Sidmar, renamed Stahlwerke Bremen; later becoming part of Usinor, Arcelor (2002), and ArcelorMittal (2006) through mergers of the parent holding company.
In 1906 a consortium led by shipping firm Norddeutscher Lloyd was formed, and in 1908 established the Norddeutsche Hütte Aktiengesellschaft with a capital of 6 million Marks, and with Heinrich Wiegand as chairman. In the same period the port of Bremen was developed, with the construction of the central harbour (1907–10). Deliveries of iron ore by sea began in 1910, and in on 2 April 1911 the first of two blast furnaces built became operational. Other initially built facilities included 80 coke ovens with associated ammonia and tar plants. By 1912 a (slag) cement plant, benzene plant, third blast furnace, and a further 40 coke ovens had been installed; additionally coke gas was supplied to the Bremen region. Initial plans to add steel plant, foundry and rolling mills were not completed - the plant's main product pig iron was shipped to the Ruhr region.
In 1922 the Stumm group (Saar) became a major shareholder, after 1927 Krupp became the major shareholder. Much of the workforce was also from outside Bremen - both from Westphalia and from Poland. During the Great Depression two blast furnaces and the cement plant were idled, and 850 workers laid off - with the workforce reduced to a low of around 200 in 1933. Blast furnaces were restarted in 1935 and 1937/8. As part of economic policy toward self-sufficiency under Nazi Germany a steel production plant was added, and ferrovanadium production began. Forced labour was introduced, with Otto Hofmann installed as a technical director at the plant. During the second world war the workforce reached 1500 of which half were forced labourers.
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Wikipedia