Zapp AG
| Zapp AG
|
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1998 |
| Seat |
Ratingen , Germany
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| management |
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| Number of employees | 1300 (2018) |
| sales | 400 million euros (2018) |
| Branch | Metal processing, trading and advice |
| Website | www.zapp.com |
| As of June 19, 2018 | |
The Zapp AG , also Zapp Group called, based in Ratingen is a group of companies in metal processing . The group's management company is Zapp Precision Metals GmbH in Schwerte-Ergste and Unna . The group is a leading manufacturer of metallic precision semi-finished products and specializes in the cold forming of stainless steel , titanium , carbon steel and special materials into strips , wires , rods and profiles .
history
The history of the Zapp family goes back to 1701, when Hermann Zapp, father of Engelberth Zapp, started steel production north of Ründeroth in the Leppe valley . He bought an iron hammer and registered a trade.
In 1852 the first puddle furnace for steel of consistent quality was built. Steel was produced there for five generations. Even Krupp bought refined steel at Zapp. When the global economic crisis in 1857 put Zapp in financial difficulties, the company was sold. However, they stayed true to steel.
Robert Zapp left Ründeroth in 1869 and founded the steel trading company Zapp (today: Zapp AG) in Düsseldorf in 1871, focusing in particular on the Europe-wide distribution of English special steels. Zapp had previously studied iron and steel engineering and the Bessemer process in England and now used his know-how for the production of special steel. But the new types of steel needed explanation. The competitive advantages that resulted from this demanded intensive cooperation with the toolmakers.
In the course of time, the range became wider and wider. From 1913 the sales organization introduced the new Kruppstahl Nirosta , from 1927 the new hard metal Widia.
In 1926 the Robert Zapp company took over the Ergste steelworks, which had specialized in the cold forming of stainless steel. For 70 years, the two companies went about their business largely independently of each other. In the post-war period, the trading company Robert Zapp concentrated on the new high-performance materials and expanded its branch network. The Ergste steelworks, on the other hand, shifted its production more and more to the high-alloy and new special steels during this time and expanded its special position among the drawing mills and cold rolling mills. In the sixties it was decided to concentrate entirely on the area of rust, acid and heat-resistant steels.
In 1991 the Ergste steelworks bought the Westig steelworks in Unna. In 1995 the two companies merged to form the Ergste Westig steelworks. In the following years, production plants were set up in the USA in Summerville ( South Carolina ) and Dartmouth ( Massachusetts ), the second most important market after Europe.
In 1998 the group's companies were merged into a family-controlled stock corporation . Since then, the company has expanded primarily in the USA, Germany and China. In Germany the companies Ferd. Wagner GmbH in Pforzheim , as well as Euro Titan Handels GmbH in Ratingen were taken over by the Zapp Group and the Zapp Precision Metals (Taicang) Co., Ltd. Established in China. In the USA, the Zapp group also grew through company acquisitions.
As a further step towards a uniform international market presence, Zapp Medical Alloys GmbH and Ferd. Wagner GmbH merged with Stahlwerk Ergste Westig GmbH.
In addition, Stahlwerk Ergste Westig GmbH was renamed Zapp Precision Metals GmbH in order to better express the core business as a niche supplier for precision products internationally. At the same time, Robert Zapp Werkstofftechnik was renamed Zapp Materials Engineering and Robert Zapp Service-GmbH was renamed Zapp Systems GmbH.
In 2018 it was announced that the Zapp Group had acquired the Sandvik Stainless Wire business unit from Sandvik .
Participation in cartels
In July 2018, the Federal Cartel Office imposed fines totaling 205 million euros on several stainless steel manufacturers, including Zapp AG, for fixing prices. From 2004 until its search in November 2015 , the company had agreed the method of calculating scrap and alloy surcharges with ArcelorMittal , Saarstahl AG , Voestalpine and Dörrenberg Edelstahl, among others . In the case of products for structural steel, the companies would also have exchanged prices. The companies mentioned have admitted the allegations directed against them. The agreements between the companies were exposed after a tip from Voestalpine, who as a key witness now does not have to pay a fine.
Products
The company's core competencies lie in the cold forming of rust-free metallic materials in the product forms strip, wire, rod and profile into precision semi-finished products . Above all, austenitic , ferritic and martensitic stainless steels, nickel and nickel-based alloys , cobalt-based alloys , but also titanium and titanium alloys are processed. There are also trade and service centers for special materials and tool alloys.
Locations
The production facilities, consulting and service centers are located in Ratingen, Schwerte, Unna, Pforzheim, Sheffield (Great Britain), Sandviken (Sweden), Summerville (SC), Dartmouth (MA), Santa Fe Springs (CA), Stratford (CT) ), Pearland (TX), Gurnee (IL), Taicang (China) and Hong Kong.
Zapp AG companies
The group has several companies in Germany, UK, USA and China.
Companies in Europe
- Zapp AG (headquarters), Ratingen, Germany
- Zapp Precision Metals GmbH, Schwerte, Germany
- Zapp Materials Engineering GmbH, Ratingen, Germany
- Zapp Systems GmbH, Ratingen, Germany
- Zapp Immobilien-Verwaltungs-GmbH, Ratingen, Germany
- Zapp Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Ratingen, Germany
- Argeste Edelstahlverarbeitung Beteiligungs-GmbH, Ratingen, Germany
- Zapp (GB) Ltd., Sheffield, Great Britain
Company in USA
- Zapp Precision Strip Inc., Dartmouth, Massachusetts
- Zapp Precision Wire Inc., Summerville, South Carolina
- Zapp Tooling Alloys Inc., Summerville, South Carolina
Company in asia
- Zapp Precision Metals (Taicang) Co., Ltd., Taicang, China
- Ferd. Wagner (Far East) Ltd., Hong Kong
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Price fixing: million dollar fine for stainless steel manufacturers. In: Wiwo. Wirtschaftswoche, July 12, 2018, accessed on July 16, 2018 .
- ^ The sales companies of Zapp AG ( Memento from July 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive )