Mannesmann Steel was Germany's largest producer of high-spec steel until quite recently.
The firm converted the steel into basic tubing which was then sold onto specialist tubing converters to be processed into specific products. The well-known ORIA tubing from Italy, produced by the Mazzucato company used raw steel tubes made by Mannessmann, as did Dedacciai and Columbus for some of their products.
At some time in the early 90s the other large German steel producer, SACHS, owner of Sachs-Huret bicycle products, decided to enter into the telecommunications field, by buying up the interests of the Italian Olivetti company. It was to finance this deal that Sachs sold off the bike business to SRAM. Not much later Mannesmann entered the market, selling of some of its steel tubing interests to the French company Vallourec; that merger took place in 1997.
The new company Vallourec Mannesmann engaged on a process of acquiring other companies around the world, and have manufacturing plant on most continents, producing high spec hot-rolled seamless steel tubing. Recently Vallourec bought out Mannesmann's 45% share of the company, whose HQ is based in Paris.
Norris Lockley
Settle UK