CORPORATE NEWS:
Neuhoff celebrates 125 years
From his shop premises in Kölnerstraße Schwelm in 1881, August Neuhoff – a chemist and pharmacist by profession – began to formulate products to assist in the process of drawing wire.
From this small and simple beginning the firm of August Neuhoff is now celebrating 125 years as one of the world’s leading companies for the supply of lubricants, coatings and ancillary products for the metal wire drawing industry.
The business has remained in the family since its inception and is now in its fourth generation with the fifth family member at the helm.
On 28th July 1914, August Neuhoff passed the business on to his eldest son August Neuhoff Junior who, on his death and having no children, passed the business to his sister Martha Damm (née Neuhoff). Since then the business has remained in the Damm family with Martha passing it on to her son Hans-Henning who, on his retirement, gave control to his eldest son, the current owner Hubertus Damm.
In 1913 the company moved to Prinzenstraße from where it still operates today. The original production hall is still in use but the manufacturing equipment has been considerably updated!
In 1956 the trade name Traxit was registered. The name was based on the Latin word meaning “to pull, drag or draw” and through the trade name, the lubricants of August Neuhoff are now probably the most widely recognised wire drawing products in the world.
Since the foundation of the company 125 years ago the materials used for wire lubrication have changed radically. In the early days lubricants were mostly grease or oil based, whereas now for steel wire the majority of lubricants are calcium or sodium stearate based dry powders.
August Neuhoff is able to meet the challenges of the changing world as it is a true global company present in all the major markets.
The modern era has brought faster, more efficient machines and therefore the lubri-cant used has also had to develop to meet the demands of the latest equipment.
An extensive network of representatives, agents and direct supply means that wherever wire is drawn in the world,
a lubricant expert is available in the vicinity to assist and advise.
In 1995 August Neuhoff took the then unusual step of setting up a production facility in mainland China and opened
Traxit (Tianjin) Chemical Company based in Tianjin in the north-east region of the country, producing some traditional lubri-cants and developing a further product range to meet the requirements of the local market.
According to figures provided by IISI and WSD, China is now the single largest producer of steel in the world and remains the second largest net importer of finished steel. Traxit is the largest selling brand name in China and has recently doubled
the size of its facility to meet the ever increasing demand in the region. The factory in China also produces for the export market and about 30% of its production is sold in the Asia-Pacific area.
The 1990s also saw an increase in the sales of Traxit brand lubricants in the United States and in 1997 Traxit North America was established, based in Memphis, Tennessee, to service the needs of this core market. From here, with satellite facilities in Massachusetts, California and Canada, the NAFTA area is supplied mainly with specialised products, the superior quality of which has resulted in substantial increases in market share in recent years.
Just before the turn of the millenium a further development in the August Neuhoff group of companies came with the establishment of Traxit Engineers in Mumbai, India.
This is a company specialising in high quality production equipment. More recently in 2005 August Neuhoff acquired the Tractol lubricant range of products to add to its growing portfolio.
However the heart of the August Neuhoff group of companies remains in its birth-place of Schwelm. The company has always remained true to its roots and today is the only global supplier of wire drawing lubricants and ancillary products that has not diversified into other areas. The growth of the company has been through meeting the needs of the wire drawing industry. Extensive research and development facilities are available to confront the changing process parameters and legislation concerning the content of chemical products.
The company says: “Central to our philosophy is the concept of working in partnership with our customers in order to find the best solution for them, both technically and commercially. Some customers have been buying lubricant products from us since the company started 125 years ago and our desire is that they will continue to do so for as long
as steel is produced in the shape of wire!”
The need to work together is never more important than in choosing the best lubricant for a particular application.
No two drawing lines are ever identical and the choice of the correct lubricant is not always a straightforward process. There are a number of factors which affect the choice. August Neuhoff believes every customer, large or small, is equally important and is treated with care and on an individual basis. August Neuhoff is proud that it serves only the wire industry and says:
“One advantage of this is that all of our extensive research and development work is solely for the benefit of the producer of wire products. It is essential to keep ahead of changes in processes and legislation.”
Legislation changes regularly and one potential change that will have a signifi-cant impact on the wire industry is that, within Europe at least, borax and all borate compounds may be re-classified as toxic and as such hazardous to health. For coatings, as an alternative to borax, other proprietary coatings can be applied such as the Traxit Zel range. These may be
applied in line or as a batch operation. Further development has produced dry coatings such as the Traxit DCC products used in connection with a dry coating machine. For lubricants, boron compounds are a common additive particularly in sodium-based lubricants. To meet future challenges August Neuhoff has already begun developing a new generation of borax-free products.
August Neuhoff stresses it is a dynamic company intent on using its vast knowledge gained from its unequalled experience to move forward together with its customers, old and new, to face any challenges the future may bring.
Company: |
August Neuhoff - Traxit International |
Country: |
Germany |
Fax: |
+49 2336 919101 |
Email: |
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Website: |
www.traxit-international.com |