Rohrwerk Maxhütte, which late last year filed for insolvency, has found a white knight in Mertex UK, a distributor of pipe and other steel and metals related products, Kallanish notes.
Rohrwerk Maxhütte, located in the Franconia region of northern Bavaria, has been threatened with closure several times over the last 20 years, after the shutdown of its blast furnace in the 1990s. In December last year, it filed for insolvency again. The mill makes seamless pipe mainly for the automotive, shipbuilding, and offshore industries. Its annual revenue is reportedly around €100 million ($102m), achieved with a staff of 460.
Mertex UK Limited is a privately-owned company, registered in England and Wales. It describes itself as a leading, diversified, natural resources group with renowned specialised activity in trading, manufacturing and processing of line pipe, and OCTG such as casing, tubing and drill pipe.
On its website, it briefly announces the asset purchase agreement with Rohrwerk Maxhütte. It says the lines it is acquiring produce hot-finished tube with 21.3-139.7mm outside diameter and 2.3-13mm wall thickness, as well as cold-finished tube with 4-120mm outside diameter and 1-11mm wall thickness.
According to local radio reports, the new owners will bring fresh order volumes, and are planning further investment in the mill.
Christian Koehl Germany
