Voestalpine AG is an international steel company based in Linz , Austria . The company produces steel , automobiles , railway systems , equipment and tool steels.
| voestalpine AG | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type of | Public company |
| Base | 1941 |
| Location |  Linz , Austria |
| Industry | Metallurgy |
| Products | Metallurgical company |
| Turnover |  € 11.228 million |
| Net profit | € 1.0 million |
| Number of employees | 48,000 (2013/14) |
| Site | www.voestalpine.com |
60% of the staff work in Austria. In addition to the facilities in Linz, the company owns large plants in Leoben in Styria and in Krems in Lower Austria . The company also owned a large plant in Litsen in Styria , but it was closed in the 1990s.
In 1941, voestalpine was founded as Eisenwerke Oberdonau ( Upper Austria Metallurgy), as part of the Reichswerke Hermann Göring AG cartel, which is the main supplier of iron and steel for the German military industry during World War II . After the war, the company was nationalized by the Austrian government, primarily in order to avoid confiscation by its Allies , influential Austrian politicians played an important role in this process. In 1952, voestalpine introduced the LD process , the first oxygen-converter process .
From 1985 to 1995, the company consistently went through privatization and corporatization . As a result, in 2003 its name was changed to voestalpine AG, thus the name was reduced to the standard for naming public companies in Austria.
In 2004, it acquired a controlling interest in Nedcon , a Dutch manufacturer of shelving equipment.
In April 2007, voestalpine acquired the Austrian tool steel manufacturer Böhler-Uddeholm . The deal was approved by a majority of shareholders in June.