WesWorld

Since the nineteenth century, steel has been an important sector of the Belgian economy. Five companies today dominate the production of steel and these were all formed in the period 1820-45 when, with foreign assistance from across Europe, the industry was founded. It has evolved alongside the coal industry which helps to sustain its furnaces and today they have a symbiotic relationship in terms of supply and demand. Today Belgian steel is exported globally and Belgium is the main supplier to the UKN nations.

N.V. Bekaert S.A.
Founded in 1880 in Zwevegem, this company produces steel wire and since 1939 has been involved in the manufacture of anti-corrosion coatings.

Carcoke S.A.
This coking plant is located between Zwankendamme and Zeebrugge. Work began on construction in 1900 by the German firm Moselhütte AG. It used British coal, which it processed into coke for the steel industry in the Ruhr and Alsace-Lorraine. The operating company was Usine des fours à Cokes de Zeebruges. In 1905 the factory was sold to Rombacher Hüttenwerke, by which time production was 150,000 tonnes of coke per year. During the Great War the factory, being German property, was expropriated and given to Solvay S.A.; the name was changed to Zeebruges Fours à Coke. The plant was modernized in 1930 and on the same site a munitions factory was established, Forges de Zeebrugge. The new coke ovens came from the SA des Haut de la Chiers Fournaux from Longwy. In 1937, the company adopted its current name when it was divested from Solway S.A.

Société Métallurgique d'Espérance-Longdoz
In 1845, the Dothée brothers established a tinplate factory in Longdoz in Liege. In 1862, they merged the business with the Société anonyme des Hauts Fourneaux, Usines et Charbonnages de l'Espérance forming the Société des Charbonnages, Hauts Fourneaux et Laminoirs de l'Espérance. In 1877, the company disposed of the coal mining business of the company and took the current name. The innovation of Hot-dip galvanizing was introduced in 1881 by Paul Borgnet who later founded the Phenix Works in Flémalle in 1911. In 1920, the company was acquired by Evence Coppée & Cie. The company is the largest producer of sheet metal in Belgium and reached a peak production of 142,000 tonnes in 1948.

Fabrique de Fer d'Ougrée
Founded 1835 as the Société des Charbonnages et Hauts-Fourneaux d'Ougrée. After a series of mergers between 1892 and 1905 it became one of the primary metal producers in Belgium. By 1914 it operated eight blast furnaces and had a steel production capacity of 500,000 tonnes, producing semi and finished products such as bar, plate, beams and rails. Also between 1905 and 1928 the company operated an industrial rack railway at one of its factories in Ougrée. In 1929, it took over the SA des Charbonnages de Fontaine-l'Évêque and in 1931 Alliance Monceau based in Monceau-sur-Sambre. In 1923, in association with the Société de l'Air Liquide, the company founded the Société Belge de l'Azote, based in Ougrée which produced synthetic ammonia. In 1950, the company merged with Cockerill to form Cockerill-Ougrée.

Forges de la Providence
In 1836, the Englishman Thomas Bonehill built puddling furnaces for the Puissant and Licot de Nîmes families. In 1838, the company Société Anonyme des laminoirs, forges, fonderies et usines de la Providence was formed by Clément-Joseph Delbruyère, Edmond et Jules Puissant and Thomas Bonehill. The first steelworks was at Marchienne-au-Pont, Charleroi and in 1843 the built a second steelworks in Hautmont, France, equipped to produce plate and rails in expectation of orders for the construction of the French railways. Later, another steelworks in France at Réhon was constructed, and the first blast furnace began production in 1866. A subsidiary, SA Providence Russe, opened a steelworks in Sartana in 1898, but the enterprise failed in 1902. After complete modernisation between 1910-14, the plant at Hautmont was entirely destroyed during the Great War. On reconstruction, the plant was constructed to utilise the Siemens-Martin process and new rolling mills were added in 1921. Rehon has been expanded with a fourth, fifth and sixth blast furnaces in 1922, 1930 and 1949 respectively.

Hainaut-Sambre S.A.
In the Charleroi area, Paul-François Huart-Chapel would be instrumental in the development of the steel industry as his contemporary, the naturalised Belgian John Cockerill was in the nearby Liege area. In the 1820s Huart-Chapel introduced puddling furnaces then coke fired blast furnaces. In 1830, his ironworks merged to form the Fontaine-Spitaels et Cie. It also had licences for the extraction of coal and iron ore. In 1835, the company became the Société Anonyme des Hauts Fourneaux, Usines et Charbonnages de Marcinelle et Couillet with a capital of 4.5 million francs. In 1906, the metal working and mining divisions separated; the colliery at Marcinelle becoming a separate company, the metal division of the company became La Société Métallurgique de Couillet, renamed as Société Métallurgique du Hainaut in 1910. In 1945, the company merged with the metallurgical division of Sambre et Moselle to form Hainaut-Sambre. The S.A. Marchinelle & Couillet locomotives factory at Couillet, Charleroi is a subsidiary company.

Metallo-Chimique N.V.
Founded in 1919, in Beerse, as a metals and mining company. It produces tin and lead, electrolytic copper, copper anodes and solder and also deals in the scrap metal trade.

Thy-le-Chateau S.A.
This ironworks was founded in 1763 and today makes steel products.