BÖHLER is steeped in rich history dating back to 1446 when the first hammer forge was established, on the site of the current BÖHLER Steel mill in Kapfenberg, Austria. In 1900 Bohler developed the revolutionary High Speed Steel BÖHLER Rapid. Then in 1967 a special melting shop was built housing the first ESR (Electro-slag-remelting) plant. In 1991 Voestalpine, the owners, bought UDDEHOLM Tooling and established BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM.
The development of UDDEHOLM began over 300 years ago when the first iron was produced at Stjarnsfors in the Swedish county of Varmland in 1668. From small mills and workshop hammers in the early 17th century, generations of skilled craftsmen have contributed to the development of today’s products.
The history of voestalpine High Performance Metals in Africa begins in June 1961 with the establishment of Böhler Steel Africa (Pty) Ltd in Isando, South Africa, focusing on the sales of special steel and welding consumables under the leadership of its first Managing Director, Mr. Walter Wittmann. The company underwent significant transformations over the decades, reflecting its commitment to innovation and growth. In 2017, voestalpine Edelstahl GmbH and its Special Steel Division were rebranded to voestalpine High Performance Metals GmbH and High Performance Metals Division, respectively, marking a new era in the company’s evolution. That same year, the company expanded its global footprint with the acquisition of CMP Alloys in Scotland. Additionally, the Africa business was rebranded from Böhler Uddeholm Africa to voestalpine High Performance Metals Africa (Pty) Ltd. This rebranding also led to the establishment of the voestalpine Specialty Metals Africa Division, designed to provide focused support to their Oil & Gas sector customers, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to meeting the specific needs of their clients.