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Vossloh
Vossloh AG is a rail technology company based in Werdohl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The SDAX-listed group achieved sales of around €930 million in 2016 and, as of 2017[update], had more than 4,000 employees.
Vossloh can trace its origins back to the late 19th century and Edward Vossloh, a blacksmith who secured component manufacturing work for the Royal Prussian Railway in the 1880s. In the following decades, the company expanded into the production of general hardware, including decorative items and lampholders for electric lighting. The company has long been based at Werdohl, though this has not always been straightforward; the company’s facilities there were bombed during the latter half of the Second World War. Several subsidiary companies were lost following the conclusion of the conflict. However, Vossloh survived, launching production of fluorescent tube holders at a plant in Lüdenscheid in 1946. In 1967, it obtained a license to make a new tension clamp rail fastening. During the late 1980s, considerable reorganisation was undertaken, management outside of the Vossloh family was brought in, rival company Schwabe GmbH was acquired and, on 1 December 1989, Vossloh-Werke GmbH became a public stock company or Aktiengesellschaft (AG).
By the twenty-first century, Vossloh had developed into a global market leader both for rail fasteners and switch systems; a series of acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s had greatly bolsters its presence in the rail sector. In North America, Vossloh became the leading manufacturer of concrete railway ties. It has offered a globally unique grinding technology, so-called high-speed grinding, for track maintenance. Vossloh previously owned three business units for Electrical Systems, Locomotives, and Rail Vehicles; these were sold in 2015, 2020 and 2016 respectively. The brand name "Vossloh" is still used for several products that are not, or are no longer, related to Vossloh AG. For example, Vossloh locomotives have been produced by the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) since 2020.
Its customers are generally public and private railway companies and network operators, as well as regional and municipal transport companies. Since its restructuring in the mid-2010s, Vossloh has focused on target markets: China, the US, Russia and Western Europe. Important Vossloh production sites are in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Poland and Scandinavia. In addition, the group has subsidiaries in Asia, North and South America, Australia and Russia.
The company origins can be traced back to the German blacksmith Eduard Vossloh. After having returned from the Franco-Prussian War, Vossloh undertook various forms of work and struggled to turn a profit until he secured a major contract during 1883 for the manufacture of spring washers, used for rail fasteners, from the Royal Prussian Railway; allegedly, the Prussian authorities had looked positively upon his military service. Lacking the resources to fulfil the order, Vossloh hired several workers and obtained help from another German company, Kugel & Berg, which delivered the needed wire to construct the metal lock rings. Soon after the order's fulfilment, additional orders followed, and Vossloh had no shortage of work. On 11 July 1888, the Eduard Vossloh Company was registered; that same year, the business moved to new premises outside of Werdohl's inner core that facilitated an expanded workshop and product range.
By the mid-1890s, this workshop had been equipped with a variety of machines and effectively become a small factory. In 1899, Edward Vossloh died and his three oldest sons took on the management of the company. One of these sons, Karl Vossloh, became an engineer and expanded the company’s product range by developing various new metal components for the railways. The business grew steadily around this time; by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, it employed roughly 240 people and provided a steady living for the Vossloh family. During 1917, a large German steel maker, Rheinische Stahlwerke Duisburg, held talks with the Vossloh family on acquiring the firm; however, terms could not be agreed and no such deal took place. In the aftermath of the conflict, the demand for forged products collapsed and Vossloh opted to focus on smaller metal components instead of manufacturing larger ones, establishing a modest plant to produce sheet metal along with a separate new facility to supply the former with raw materials.
During the early 1920s, the business was reorganised into three limited liability companies, each led by one of the three oldest Vossloh brothers; one headed the production plants in Werdohl, another led the Lüdenscheid factory, and the last brother was responsible for marketing and sales. In 1924, Vossloh acquired a wood processing plant in Dillenburg; by this time, Vossloh maintained more than 60 company-owned apartments that were rented at low prices to Vossloh employees. During 1927, Karl Vossloh developed the high tension ring, which went on to become the standard used on numerous railways across Europe, including Germany. By the late 1920s, Vossloh had developed a network of sales offices across the region, including offices in Königsberg, Breslau, Munich, Frankfurt/Main, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Throughout the early 20th century, the company continued to grow, producing general hardware, including decorative items and lampholders for electric lights; its diverse product range helped it survive the Great Recession.
Demand for Vossloh's products remained strong throughout the 1930s and into the Second World War; in the war year, women took the place of many of the male craftsmen that were sent off to fight. During early 1945, amid the closing months of the conflict, the firm's facilities in Werdohl were destroyed by a bomb. Subsidiaries marketing lampholders, which were located in Kaliningrad, Wrocław and East Germany, ceased to be part of the company due to the post-war changes to Germany's national borders made at the end of the conflict. In contrast, Werdohl has remained an important location to the company; even in the 21st century, the headquarters of Vossloh AG and Vossloh Fastening Systems GmbH (Core Components division) are located here.
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Vossloh
Vossloh AG is a rail technology company based in Werdohl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The SDAX-listed group achieved sales of around €930 million in 2016 and, as of 2017[update], had more than 4,000 employees.
Vossloh can trace its origins back to the late 19th century and Edward Vossloh, a blacksmith who secured component manufacturing work for the Royal Prussian Railway in the 1880s. In the following decades, the company expanded into the production of general hardware, including decorative items and lampholders for electric lighting. The company has long been based at Werdohl, though this has not always been straightforward; the company’s facilities there were bombed during the latter half of the Second World War. Several subsidiary companies were lost following the conclusion of the conflict. However, Vossloh survived, launching production of fluorescent tube holders at a plant in Lüdenscheid in 1946. In 1967, it obtained a license to make a new tension clamp rail fastening. During the late 1980s, considerable reorganisation was undertaken, management outside of the Vossloh family was brought in, rival company Schwabe GmbH was acquired and, on 1 December 1989, Vossloh-Werke GmbH became a public stock company or Aktiengesellschaft (AG).
By the twenty-first century, Vossloh had developed into a global market leader both for rail fasteners and switch systems; a series of acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s had greatly bolsters its presence in the rail sector. In North America, Vossloh became the leading manufacturer of concrete railway ties. It has offered a globally unique grinding technology, so-called high-speed grinding, for track maintenance. Vossloh previously owned three business units for Electrical Systems, Locomotives, and Rail Vehicles; these were sold in 2015, 2020 and 2016 respectively. The brand name "Vossloh" is still used for several products that are not, or are no longer, related to Vossloh AG. For example, Vossloh locomotives have been produced by the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) since 2020.
Its customers are generally public and private railway companies and network operators, as well as regional and municipal transport companies. Since its restructuring in the mid-2010s, Vossloh has focused on target markets: China, the US, Russia and Western Europe. Important Vossloh production sites are in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Poland and Scandinavia. In addition, the group has subsidiaries in Asia, North and South America, Australia and Russia.
The company origins can be traced back to the German blacksmith Eduard Vossloh. After having returned from the Franco-Prussian War, Vossloh undertook various forms of work and struggled to turn a profit until he secured a major contract during 1883 for the manufacture of spring washers, used for rail fasteners, from the Royal Prussian Railway; allegedly, the Prussian authorities had looked positively upon his military service. Lacking the resources to fulfil the order, Vossloh hired several workers and obtained help from another German company, Kugel & Berg, which delivered the needed wire to construct the metal lock rings. Soon after the order's fulfilment, additional orders followed, and Vossloh had no shortage of work. On 11 July 1888, the Eduard Vossloh Company was registered; that same year, the business moved to new premises outside of Werdohl's inner core that facilitated an expanded workshop and product range.
By the mid-1890s, this workshop had been equipped with a variety of machines and effectively become a small factory. In 1899, Edward Vossloh died and his three oldest sons took on the management of the company. One of these sons, Karl Vossloh, became an engineer and expanded the company’s product range by developing various new metal components for the railways. The business grew steadily around this time; by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, it employed roughly 240 people and provided a steady living for the Vossloh family. During 1917, a large German steel maker, Rheinische Stahlwerke Duisburg, held talks with the Vossloh family on acquiring the firm; however, terms could not be agreed and no such deal took place. In the aftermath of the conflict, the demand for forged products collapsed and Vossloh opted to focus on smaller metal components instead of manufacturing larger ones, establishing a modest plant to produce sheet metal along with a separate new facility to supply the former with raw materials.
During the early 1920s, the business was reorganised into three limited liability companies, each led by one of the three oldest Vossloh brothers; one headed the production plants in Werdohl, another led the Lüdenscheid factory, and the last brother was responsible for marketing and sales. In 1924, Vossloh acquired a wood processing plant in Dillenburg; by this time, Vossloh maintained more than 60 company-owned apartments that were rented at low prices to Vossloh employees. During 1927, Karl Vossloh developed the high tension ring, which went on to become the standard used on numerous railways across Europe, including Germany. By the late 1920s, Vossloh had developed a network of sales offices across the region, including offices in Königsberg, Breslau, Munich, Frankfurt/Main, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Throughout the early 20th century, the company continued to grow, producing general hardware, including decorative items and lampholders for electric lights; its diverse product range helped it survive the Great Recession.
Demand for Vossloh's products remained strong throughout the 1930s and into the Second World War; in the war year, women took the place of many of the male craftsmen that were sent off to fight. During early 1945, amid the closing months of the conflict, the firm's facilities in Werdohl were destroyed by a bomb. Subsidiaries marketing lampholders, which were located in Kaliningrad, Wrocław and East Germany, ceased to be part of the company due to the post-war changes to Germany's national borders made at the end of the conflict. In contrast, Werdohl has remained an important location to the company; even in the 21st century, the headquarters of Vossloh AG and Vossloh Fastening Systems GmbH (Core Components division) are located here.