German special steel producer GMH Gruppe has announced that it has consolidated its subsidiaries Kind & Co., Schmiedewerke Gröditz and Buderus Edelstahl into a single Open-Die Forging Group, as part of its broader transformation strategy. The company will invest around €30 million to support the integration and further develop its industrial capabilities.
Consolidation under a single industrial structure
The integration brings the three companies together under a unified structure focused on coordinated production planning, metallurgy, logistics and sales. GMH Gruppe expects efficiency gains through joint capacity management, aligned processes and the reduction of interfaces across the businesses.
According to the company, the move is designed to strengthen its position in Europe’s tool steel and open-die forging markets.
Within the Open-Die Forging Group, each company will retain a clearly defined industrial focus:
- Kind & Co. will concentrate on hot-work, premium and remelted tool steels for technically demanding applications.
- Schmiedewerke Gröditz will focus on open-die forgings, rolled rings, engineering steels and engineered forged components, including products for plastic moulding, as well as stainless steels.
- Buderus Edelstahl will operate as a full-service tool steel provider for large components, plastic moulding, tool holders and die bolsters.
Annual output across the integrated portfolio exceeds 100,000 mt. GMH Gruppe said this differentiation allows it to address a wide range of customer requirements with standard, performance-optimized and premium solutions, supporting operational efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership.
The integration responds to rising demand for reliable European sourcing in sectors such as automotive, mechanical engineering and die-casting. Combined inventories across Germany, Italy, China and the US are intended to improve material availability and mitigate supply-chain volatility.
€30m investment program
The planned €30 million investment will support the integration and modernization of the Open-Die Forging Group, including installation of a new ladle car at Schmiedewerke Gröditz to increase output and steel purity; a new hardening furnace in Bielstein for large structural components, expanding vacuum-hardening capacity; relocation of energy-efficient forging furnaces from Wetzlar to Gröditz, reducing gas consumption and carbon emissions; and additional modernization measures across the group.