Truck belonging to Klöckner & Co’s Swiss subsidiary
History
Klöckner headquarters at the turn of the millennium
Modern high-bay warehouse at a Klöckner & Co steel warehouse
The dog – Klöckner & Co’s trademark
1991-96 Klöckner & Co develops into a global trading Company. The new areas of focus are steel trading, PC components, PC products, chemicals, energy and textiles. Various investments and disposals are undertaken in order to realign the Company.
Among other transactions, it acquires Computer 2000 (in 1995) and the Röder Group (in 1994).
1997 Klöckner & Co focuses on its core business of multi metal trading. In pursuit of this goal, it acquires additional companies: the Swiss market leader, Debrunner Koenig Holding-Gruppe, the Austrian Company Ettinger Stahlhandel Ges.m.b.H., the Dutch Company ODS B.V. and the French Company Arus (now Klöckner Distribution Industrielle). In addition, it acquires the Spanish Company Grupo Comercial de Laminados S.A., shuts down its energy and chemical trading operations and deconsolidates its textile investments.
1998 Decision is made to dispose of stake in Computer-2000 and the Röder Group as part of the strategic focus.
1999/2000 Klöckner & Co concludes focus on core business in accordance with corporate law: all materials businesses are transferred to a new Company, which once again will operate under the name Klöckner & Co.
2000 Klöckner & Co acquires the British Company Richardsons Westgarth and becomes the biggest independent steel trader (not affiliated with any steel mill) in the British Isles.
In addition, the subsidiary Klöckner Steel Trade GmbH is sold to England’s Balli Group. This marked the end of Klöckner & Co’s direct-to-customer, warehouse-independent trading.
2001 E.ON AG – which was created by the merger between Viag and Veba – sells Klöckner & Co to the Balli Group, of London.
2003 In May 2003, WestLB AG becomes Klöckner & Co’s majority shareholder. Another shareholder is HSH Nordbank AG.
November 2003 Dr. Thomas Ludwig is appointed as Chairman of the Management Board of Klöckner & Co AG. He has operating responsibility for the Group’s North American businesses and functional responsibility for Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Legal Affairs/Compliance, Internal Auditing and Risk Management.
2005 WestLB AG sells Klöckner & Co to the American private-equity firm Lindsay, Goldberg & Bessemer (LGB).
July 2005 Gisbert Rühl joins Klöckner & Co AG as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for Accounting, Controlling/M&A, Corporate IT, Finance, Investor Relations, Corporate Taxes and Insurance.
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