Comsteel
FormerlyCommonwealth Steel Company
Vickers Commonwealth Steel Products
Commonwealth Steel Products
IndustrySteel
Founded1918
FounderClyde Engineering
Goninan & Co
Pioneer Spring Co
Ritchie Brothers
Headquarters
Newcastle, New South Wales
,
Australia
ParentAmerican Industrial Partners
Websitewww.comsteel.com

Comsteel is an Australian manufacturer of steel products based in the Newcastle suburb of Waratah. It is a subsidiary of American Industrial Partners.

History

Comsteel was founded as Commonwealth Steel Products in 1918 by Clyde Engineering, Goninan & Co, Pioneer Spring Co and Ritchie Brothers to manufacture wheels, tyres, axles and steel castings for railway use.[1]

A plant was established in the Newcastle suburb of Waratah with Howard Smith acquiring a shareholding. After Vickers acquired a shareholding, in 1923 it was renamed Vickers Commonwealth Steel Products. In the 1930s, BHP gradually bought out the other shareholders and it became the Commonwealth Steel Company.[1] In 1959, a mill was opened in Unanderra for the cold rolling of stainless steel.[2][3] In 1971, Comsteel was licensed by Midland-Ross to produce couplers, draft gears and freight wagon bogies.[4]

In 1983, Commonwealth Steel Company and the Australian subsidiary of Vickers merged to form Comsteel with BHP and Vickers each holding 38% shareholdings.[2] In 1985 Comsteel was purchased by Australian National Industries (ANI).[5]

It was included in the 1999 takeover of ANI by Smorgon Steel which in turn was purchased by OneSteel in 2007.[6] Since 2016 it has been owned by American Industrial Partners.[7][8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 Commonwealth Steel Products Ltd Newcastle Industrial Heritage Association
  2. 1 2 Australians in Company BHP 1985
  3. ↑ Comsteel Unanderra Illawarra Heritage Trail
  4. ↑ US licensing deal International Railway Journal October 1971 page 10
  5. ↑ Engineering giants sell joint venture Canberra Times 24 December 1985 page 11
  6. ↑ Smorgon Steel now Set to Acquire 100% of ANI Smorgon Steel 29 January 1999
  7. ↑ Arrium's MolyCop sold for $1.6 billion SBS World News 4 November 2016
  8. ↑ American Industrial Partners completes the acquisition of Molycop American Industrial Partners
  9. ↑ Who we are MolyCop 3 January 2017
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