Historia
Ovako is built on solid Nordic steel production know-how.
Liiketoiminta muutti muotoaan useaan kertaan 1900-luvulla johtaen lopulta nykyiseen yksityisomistuksessa olevaan Ovakoon.
SKF osti Hoforsin terästehtaan vuonna 1916 ja hankki myös Helleforsin tehtaan omistukseensa vuonna 1958. Imatralle perustettiin rautatehdas vuonna 1935. Suomessa sotakorvaustuotanto vauhditti merkittävästi Imatran terästuotantoa ja kehitystä.
Terästeollisuutta rationalisoitiin toisen maailmansodan jälkeen maailmanlaajuisesti. Uusi tuotantoteknologia ja automaatio paransivat teräksen laatua ja tuotannon kustannustehokkuutta sekä kasvattivat kapasiteettia.
1960-luvun alusta lähtien Ovakon edeltäjät suuntasivat vähitellen toimintaansa kauppateräksistä erikoisterästuotteisiin. Kehityssuunta edellytti investointeja tutkimukseen, tuotekehitykseen ja laadunhallintaan.
Smedjebackenin, Hoforsin ja Imatran tehtaista tuli merkittäviä auto- ja konepajateollisuuden terästoimittajia. Vuonna 1969 suomalaisyritykset Oy Vuoksenniska Ab ja Oy Fiskars Ab yhdistivät terästuotantonsa uuteen yhtiöön nimeltä Ovako, johon Wärtsilä tuli mukaan osakkaaksi vuonna 1972.
Our History - A long tradition of iron and steel making
- 0 High quality forged iron products produced near Hofors
- 1549 Iron production Hofors Bruk
- 1631 First iron production on Hällefors site
- 1754 Boxholm Bruk is founded
- 1856 Smedjebacken Walswerk is formed
- 1900 All steel mills converted to EAF (Electrical Arc Furnace)
- 1915 Production in Imatra started
- 1916 SKF acquires Hofors AB
- 2005 Ovako is formed by the merger of Ovako Steel, Fundia and Imatra Steel
- 2017 - Ovako launch a new steel grade Hybrid Steel- Fossil-free electricity at all Swedish production sites
- 2018- Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metals acquires Ovako- Upgraded degassing facility in Imatra- Verified Climate declarations published- Fossil-free electricity at Imatra
- 2019- Ovako becomes a subsidiary of Sanyo Special Steel and a member of Nippon Steel Corporation group - Global strength in specialty steel- Verified Environmental Declarations published for all process flows
- 2020World first successful trials heating steel with hydrogen and new degassing facility in Smedjebacken
- 2021First full-scale hydrogen project launched
- 2022- Counterbalance scope 1 + 2 emissions with carbon offset - Ovako’s path to carbon neutrality- All oil in steel mills converted to propane/NG
- 2023- Heating of steel with fossil-free hydrogen in Hofors
The works in Smedjebacken, Hofors and Imatra became significant deliverers of steel for the automotive and engineering industries. In 1969, the Finnish companies Oy Vuoksenniska Ab and Oy Fiskars Ab combined their steel production in a new company, Ovako, of which Wärtsilä became co-owner in 1972.
In 1981 Smedjebackens Walsverk and the steel production in Boxholms AB were merged into a new company: Smedjebacken-Boxholm Stål AB. In 1988 that company was bought by Welbond (later Fundia). Smedjebacken-Boxholm Stål became Fundia Steel and later Fundia Special Bar AB. Fundia Steel took over Hallstahammar AB in order to enable further processing of bars. In 1986, the group Ovako Steel was founded through a merger between SKF Steel and Ovako.
In 1991, Fundia was bought by Rautaruukki Oy and the Norweigan Norsk Jern Holding A/S. In 1996 Fundia became a wholly owned subsidary of Rautaruukki Oy. In 1991 SKF became the sole owner of Ovako Steel, while the Imatra operations went on as Imatra Steel.
In May 2005, Ovako was established by merging Fundia, Ovako Steel and Imatra Steel. The company was jointly owned by Rautaruukki, SKF and Wärtsilä, combining their long steel businesses. The next year, Ovako was sold to Pampus Industrie Beteiligungen and a Dutch group of investors: Hombergh Holdings BV shareholders and WP de Pundert Ventures BV. In 2007, Pampus Stahlbeteiligungs acquired sole ownership of Ovako. Pampus Stahlbeteiligungs was owned by Werner Pampus and his family.
In September 2010, Ovako was acquired by investment firm Triton.
In June 2018, Nippon Steel Corporation, a global market leader in steel production with world-leading technology and production capacity, acquired Ovako.
In March 2019, Sanyo Special Steel, a global market and technology leader in high-quality special steel, and a member of Nippon Steel Corporation group, a leading steel producer in the world, acquired Ovako.
See Ovako´s timeline - Our History - A long tradition of iron and steel making
