Kobe Steel makes Germany-based Kobelco Europe its European HQ

Kobe Steel, Ltd. established Kobelco Europe GmbH (KEU) earlier this month to serve as the European headquarters for the Kobe Steel Group. Tsuyoshi Uesugi, will serve as managing director. According to the company, KEU has grown out of the existing Kobelco Machinery Europe GmbH (KME) which is based in Munich, Germany. KME was established in 2012 as a base for Kobe Steel’s Machinery Business in Europe, mainly the marketing of nonstandard compressors and tyre and rubber machinery.

KEU plans to continue the business activities of KME, while strengthening the management of Kobe Steel’s operations in Europe, starting with corporate governance and compliance. KEU aims to further promote coordination among the Kobe Steel Group companies in the region. Owing to good access, KEU will also be responsible for the Group’s locations in the Middle East.

The Kobe Steel Group began to expand into Europe in the 1960s and now has 10 locations in five countries. In recent years, Kobe Steel has been accelerating business development in the region. Subsidiary Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. re-entered Europe after it ended its alliance in 2012 with the former CNH Global N.V. (currently CNH Industrial N.V.) and subsequently established a base in the Netherlands in 2013. In its Machinery Business, Kobe Steel acquired Sweden’s Quintus Technologies AB, the world leader in isostatic presses, in April 2017 and turned it into a wholly owned subsidiary.