C.D. Wälzholz - cold rolled high carbon steel strip, hardened and tempered steel strip, electrical steel strip, cold rolled low carbon steel strip, bonderized steel strip, narrow steel strip, profiles, The company, 180 years of tradition - innovation - future, profiles, steel strip, Cold rolled, high carbon, electrical, bonderized, narrow, steel, strips


	Tradition - Innovation - Future

For more than 180 years C.D. Wälzholz has been known for groundbreaking innovations. Shortly after its foundation the family owned company started to expand rapidly by manufacturing novel, customer-oriented products and by using modern production technology. In the early years these products mainly comprised particularly elastic loom reeds, special wires for umbrellas and parasols and cold rolled crinoline springs for hooped skirts. 35 years after it had been founded CDW was one of the leading companies in the cold rolling industry and was already exporting products to Japan and England as early as in 1890.

For decades technological progress guaranteed the company's existence. CDW has always managed to defy difficult market conditions and thus emerged stronger from all crises due to its solid belief in the power of innovation as a means of safeguarding the future of the company.

In its plants C.D. Wälzholz has always used state-of-the-art machinery and has supplied materials for foremost technologies. At the end of the 19th century, for example, it was paragon steel, and in the 1950s Olympia-tested ski edge profiles. Today, development efforts and material production focus on innovative and flexible materials such as high-strength spring steels for seat belt systems, extremely thin electrical steel strip for environmentally friendly hybrid drives and efficient plants to generate energy. A number of global companies cooperate closely with CDW regarding development – a tradition of know-how transfer which benefits every partner.

In the most recent past C.D. Wälzholz has continued to expand into international markets. Today, with more than 1,900 employees, we are one of the largest cold rolling plants in the world, and we are consistently strengthening our international focus. We have production plants and distribution centers in Asia and America in order to be able to supply strategically important target markets directly. At the same time C.D. Wälzholz has also strengthened the regional locations. Here innovations are developed that will continue to guarantee us a top position in the cold rolling industry.

Thus we look back at more than 180-year-long tradition of innovations and look forward towards the future driven by continuously high ambitions.

History

1829	Purchase of the wire rod mill "Auf’m Graben" (Mühlengraben) in the Nahmer Valley; soon afterwards tenancy on the "Borggräfen-Rolle" nearby, a mill for fine wire and thin flat wire
1845	The Caspar D. Wälzholz reed factory is now one of twelve reed and wire works in Hohenlimburg
1848	Crisis due to the German revolution with stagnant sales, decrease of production and redundancies
1850-1857	Purchase of the mill "Borggräfen-Rolle"
1854	Special wire production for umbrellas and parasols starts – a big seller in subsequent years
1857	Generational change – the company founder Caspar D. Wälzholz passes on a sound company to his son Ludwig
1863	Production of a wide range of iron and steel wires, springs, loom reeds made of iron, steel or brass wire, numerous high-quality special wires such as chain wire, telegraph wire, nail wire, binding wire, machine wire as well as wire for embroidery needles, forks, umbrellas and parasols; furthermore manufacturing of punched iron plates to guide threads in looms (maillons), and additionally trade with other iron, steel and brass goods purchased from other manufacturers
1864	Demolition of the old wire mill and erection of a modern, two-storied factory hall; in addition to the old water wheel a 12 hp steam engine is installed as well
1866	Erection of the first cold rolling mills with cast iron rolls and an own hardening shop in order to be able to manufacture cold rolled crinoline wires
1866-1867	Due to the Prussian-Austrian war the crinoline wire production comes to a standstill – Wälzholz now produces iron wire for military boots
1868	Expansion: purchase of turning lathe, installation of more powerful steam engine, erection of office and packaging buildings, and extension of drawing shop; furthermore the company joins the health relief insurance founded by manufacturers in Hohenlimburg
1870	New applications for cold rolled steel: instruments, screws, springs, sewing machines, bicycles, locks, florist wire and gun parts
1874	Ludwig Wälzholz dies as the result of an illness and his just 20-year-old son Ludwig takes over the management together with his brothers August and Gisbert. However, Louise Wälzholz remains the owner
1884	Sales crisis due to diminishing demand for corsage steel and crinoline steel
1887	Further development of crinoline steel to paragon steel
1896	Construction of a larger cold rolling mill operated by two steam engines
1905	Co-foundation of the new company "Union-Gesellschaft für Metallindustrie GmbH" in Fröndenberg together with "Feuerhake & Cie." (chain and bicycle production)
1906-1910	Erection of another cold rolling mill
1919	Günter Wälzholz becomes general partner
1921	Dr. jur. Hans Junius, Ludwig Wälzholz's son-in-law, joins the management as company lawyer.
1937	Dr. jur. Hans Junius becomes general partner and Ludwig Wälzholz retires from company management. Otto Dreiser becomes proxy
1939-1945	Manufacturing for metal goods and arms industry, partly using forced laborers and POWs
1946	Dr. jur Hans Junius's son, Hans Martin Junius, takes over the responsibility at the company; a subsequent bestseller is the Junius poker, the so-called "Justo"
1951	Erection of new halls, amongst others the "Paragon Hall“; at the annealing shop the old gas and coal powered pots are replaced by an electric continuous annealing furnace
1953-1955	Dr. jur. Hans Junius's sons, Hans Martin Junius and Eckart Wälzholz-Junius take over the company management together with the nephew Dieter Wälzholz
1954	Formal opening of the Ludwig hall
until 1962	Erection of five large halls and the relocation of the most important parts of the cold rolling plant with the high-performance reversing mill, the annealing shop and the dynamo strip department to Hagen; construction of a new annealing line for electrical steel strip
1966	The new central administration building is set up in Hagen-Fley
1969	Erection of the plant "Hagen-Fley-Nord"
1972	Commissioning of a modern push-pull pickling line
1973	Foundation of Brasmetal Waelzholz S.A. in Sao Paulo and close-down of the company "Union-Gesellschaft für Metallindustrie GmbH" in Fröndenberg
1975	Commissioning of the large 4-stand tandem cold rolling mill
1983	Expansion of the annealing plant and equipping it with box annealing furnaces
1989	Construction of a high rack storage warehouse
1990	Management taken over by Dr.-Ing. Hans-Toni Junius and Herbert Otten (graduate economist)
1991	Start of a modern ski edge center in Hagen-Hohenlimburg
1996	Acquisition of a Hoesch electrical steel continuous annealing furnace and together with D&B foundation of the joint subsidiary CDW-Edge in Cleveland, Ohio USA.
2000	Acquisition of "Hagen-Kabel", the former cold rolling mill "Hoesch Hohenlimburg"
2001	Acquisition of "IJ Stahleisenhandel" from the Junius family and transformation into the CDW service center in IS-Stenglingsen; takeover of D&B and foundation of the CDW Service Center D&B, Ltd. in Cleveland/Ohio (USA)
2002	Acquisition of the cold rolling mill "Kaltwalzwerk Brockhaus" in Plettenberg
2003	Acquisition of Bernier in Thiers (France) and foundation of C.D. Wälzholz France SAS
2007	Acquisition of the cold rolling mill "Kaltwalzwerk Röchling KG" in Oberkochen, Foundation of Service Center "Wälzholz New Material (Taicang) Co., Ltd" in China; joint venture of CDW and "Hugo Kern and Liebers GmbH & Co. KG" to become Taicang Wälzholz – Kern-Liebers New Material Co., Ltd
2008	Dr. Hans-Toni Junius takes over the company management as Chairman of the Board; foundation of CDW Asia in HongKong
2011	Acquisition of majority stake in Brasmetal Waelzholz S.A. in Sao Paulo