New Group Structure

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In September 2009, the Supervisory Board of the parent company voestalpine AG decided to restructure the organization of the Special Steel Division (BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM Group). This reorganization enables BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM to put a stronger focus on its core business as a global niche producer and distributor of special steels.

In the past years, the BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM Group consisted of the four business areas High Performance Metals, Welding Consumables, Precision Strip and Special Forgings. These four business areas were managed by the holding company BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG and comprised roughly 190 single companies for production and distribution.

Since 1 April 2010, the High Performance Metals and Special Forgings business areas and the company Buderus Edelstahl Band GmbH have been operating under the lead company BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM AG and thus form the “new” Special Steel Division in the voestalpine Group. The other two business areas (Welding Consumables and Precision Strip) were assigned to other divisions in the voestalpine Group.

The Welding Consumables business area is now part of the Railway Systems Division because the welding materials business perfectly completes the existing product portfolio of this division. The Precision Strip business area – with the exception of Buderus Edelstahl Band GmbH – was assigned to the Profilform Division. Both organizational changes came also into effect as per 1 April 2010.

The BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM Group now consists of the business unit High Performance Metals, divided in production and sales as two separate areas of responsibility, and the business unit Special Forgings.

The “new” BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM organization represents approximately 80% of total turnover in comparison to the former Group. The goal of the new structure is a sustainable improvement in productivity and efficiency as well as a better concentration on selected core business areas.