German service centre Schäfer Werke, headquartered in Neunkirchen in North Rhine Westphalia’s Siegerland region, has acquired OKS Otto Knauf GmbH in Iserlohn from Fidelium Partners.
OKS Otto Knauf is an independently operating steel service company with over 100 employees. Founded in 1952, the business gradually developed into a modern steel service centre, Kallanish learns from the new owners. OKS operates high-performance slitting lines, processing several hundred tonnes of steel annually into precise dimensions, achieving a turnover of approximately €95 million ($104m).
After its acquisition by Fidelium from Stemcor in 2017, OKS was able to reposition itself and return to profitable growth. After the OKS takeover, Fidelium introduced an extensive series of successful optimisation measures.
The 100% family-owned Schäfer Werke operates globally with diversified business areas: EMW Steel Service Centre, perforated sheets, container systems and IBCs, as well as IT and interior systems.
As one of Europe’s largest independent steel service centres, EMW works coils, slit strip, cut-to-size and circular blanks at its two locations, in Neunkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Treuen (Saxony). It has more than 220,000 tonnes of thin steel sheet permanently in stock.
The takeover will expand Schäfer’s service portfolio, as OKS has an extensive range of machinery, as well as a highly skilled and experienced workforce, Schäfer notes. It processes carbon and stainless steels as well as aluminium in thicknesses from 0.25-16mm. For EMW, the takeover brings additional storage capacities. The coil warehouse holds 60,000t and the finished material warehouse can store 15,000t of slit strip.
Christian Koehl Germany
