Timeline from 1861-2021 with images

For more than 160 years

We convince not only with good quality and with good service, but also with our influential history, which began almost 160 years ago in 1861. The moving and eventful history of Rothe Erde began with the founding of the Paulinenhütte in Dortmund.

The subsequent years of our company history are illustrated with the most significant milestones.

Our milestones

A black and white picture of Carl Ruetz.

Carl Ruetz purchases the Paulinenhütte and relocates the Aachen plant to Dortmund/Germany. The first plant equipped with a single press and a ring rolling mill gets the plant name "Rothe Erde Dortmund" which is valid till today.

Black and white photo of a man looking out the window at an industrial company.

Integration of the company into the Dortmund Smelting Works Union.

Black and white photo of a slewing bearing production. Photo from the industrialization of Germany.

Establishment of the company Eisenwerk Rothe Erde GmbH in Dortmund. Programme: Forging, bending and mechanical workshop and Rothe Erde ball turntables - beginning of the manufacturing of slewing bearings.

Black and white photo of a fusion welding of steering rim rings.

Takeover of the Lippstädter Eisen- und Metallwerke GmbH by Dortmund-Hörder-Hüttenverein and Eisenwerk Rothe Erde.

Double row ball slewing ring

Reconstruction of the company destroyed by the war.

Black and white picture of plant in Lippstadt

In the course of the reorganization of the iron and steel industry, the company's shares were transferred to Dortmunder-Hörder-Hüttenunion AG, Dortmund. Relocation and production of rothe erde® slewing bearings to Lippstadt/Germany.

Photo of thyssenkrupp rothe erde manufacturing plant in the USA.

Start of internationalization by founding a production facility in the USA. This is followed by Japan (1967), Italy, Spain and England (1975), Brazil (1976), Slovakia (1995), China (2002) and India (2006).

A gathering of several men in suits at the merger of Hoesch AG and Dortmund-Hörder-Hüttenunion AG.

After the merger with Hoesch AG, Dortmund-Hörder-Hüttenunion AG was incorporated into the Hoesch Group.

Black and white factory photo during ring production.

Establishment of the first production line for seamlessly rolled rings in Dortmund.

Factory photo in black and white of Mertallurgica Rossi

With the acquisition of "Metallurgica Rossi" on the Italian market from the 1950s, "Hoesch Rothe Erde" increases its presence to adequately address the growing demand for large diameter bearings of the Italian domestic market.

Share of Fried. Krupp AG

Takeover of Hoesch AG by the Krupp Group and subsequent merging with Fried. Krupp AG, Hoesch-Krupp. Hoesch Rothe Erde is integrated into the Group with the business areas of slewing bearings and seamlessly rolled rings.

PSL plant in Slovakia.

PSL: The main area of the production program is the manufacturing of standard and special bearings with large diameter, slewing bearings, worm drives and bearing rollers.

Newspaper article about the merger of Thyssen AG and Fried.

Since March 17, 1999, after belonging to Hoesch AG, Rothe Erde has been part of the ThyssenKrupp Group since the merger of Thyssen AG and Fried. Krupp AG.

The slipless induction hardening of rolling element raceways in slewing bearings.

In order to increase the hardness of the bearing raceways on slewing bearings, a patented inductive hardening procedure without a soft spot was developed. This was the entry into the manufacturing of continuously rotating bearings, such as main bearings in wind turbines.

Plant photo thyssenkrupp in China

Company name changed to Rothe Erde GmbH. Establishment of a production site in China.

Plant photo thyssenkrupp in India

Establishment of a production site in India.

Old thyssenkrupp logo

Change of name to ThyssenKrupp Rothe Erde GmbH.

Primary logo of thyssenkrupp

#wirsindnemarke (#we are a brand) - new thyssenkrupp brand image. All of the Group's brands unite under one umbrella brand.

rothe erde international world map

Change of the company name to thyssenkrupp rothe erde. #rotheerde

160 years with confetti in background, lettering thyssenkrupp rothe erde

160 years of thyssenkrupp rothe erde. From the founding of the company to the present day, #160years have already passed, we are celebrating our anniversary! #160yearssthyssenkrupprotheerde

Four pictures in blue, grey, megenta, green
New segment: Rothe Erde, thyssenkrupp nucera, Uhde and Polysius are merged under the new segmet Decarbon Technologies.