1829 - 1899
1829 // Purchase of the wire rod mill "Auf’m Graben" (Mühlengraben) in the Nahmertal, Hagen, Germany; soon afterwards tenancy on the "Borggräfen-Rolle" nearby, a mill for fine wire and thin flat wire
1845 // The Caspar D. Wälzholz reed factory is founded as one of twelve reed and wire works in Hohenlimburg, Germany
1848 // Crisis due to the German revolution with stagnant sales, decrease of production and redundancies
1850–1857 // Purchase of the mill "Borggräfen-Rolle"
1854 // Special wire production for umbrellas and parasols starts – a big seller in subsequent years
1857 // Generational change – the company founder Caspar D. Wälzholz passes on a sound company to his son Ludwig
1863 // Production of a wide range of iron and steel wires, springs, loom reeds made of iron, steel or brass wire, numerous high-quality special wires such as chain wire, telegraph wire, nail wire, binding wire, machine wire as well as wire for embroidery needles, forks, umbrellas and parasols; furthermore manufacturing of punched iron plates to guide threads in looms (maillons), and additionally trade with other iron, steel and brass goods purchased from other manufacturers
1864 // Demolition of the old wire mill and erection of a modern, two-storied factory hall; in addition to the old water wheel a 12 hp steam engine is installed as well
1866 // Erection of the first cold rolling mills with cast iron rolls and an own hardening shop in order to be able to manufacture cold rolled crinoline wires
1866–1867 // Due to the Prussian-Austrian war the crinoline wire production comes to a standstill – Wälzholz now produces iron wire for military boots
1868 // Expansion
- Purchase of turning lathe
- Installation of more powerful steam engine
- Erection of office and packaging buildings
- Extension of drawing shop
- Modernization of annealing workshop
- Joining the health relief insurance founded by manufacturers in Hohenlimburg
1870 // New applications for cold rolled steel: instruments, screws, springs, sewing machines, bicycles, locks, florist wire and gun parts
1874 // Ludwig Wälzholz dies as the result of an illness and his just 20-year-old son Ludwig takes over the management together with his brothers August and Gisbert; however, Louise Wälzholz remains the owner
1884 // Sales crisis due to diminishing demand for corsage steel and crinoline steel
1887 // Further development of crinoline steel to paragon steel
1896 // Construction of a larger cold rolling mill operated by two steam engines
1900 - 1999
1905 // Co-foundation of the new company "Union-Gesellschaft für Metallindustrie GmbH" in Fröndenberg, Germany, together with "Feuerhake & Cie." (chain and bicycle production)
1906-1910 // Erection of another cold rolling mill
1919 // Günter Wälzholz becomes general partner
1921 // Dr. jur. Hans Junius, Ludwig Wälzholz's son-in-law, joins the management as company lawyer
1937 // Dr. jur. Hans Junius becomes general partner and Ludwig Wälzholz retires from company management. Otto Dreiser becomes proxy
1939–1945 // Manufacturing for metal goods and arms industry, partly using forced laborers and POWs
1946 // Dr. jur Hans Junius's son, Hans Martin Junius, takes over the responsibility at the company; a subsequent bestseller is the Junius poker, the so-called "Justo"
1951 // Erection of new halls, amongst others the "Paragon Hall"; at the annealing shop the old gas and coal powered pots are replaced by an electric continuous annealing furnace
1953–1955 // Dr. jur. Hans Junius's sons, Hans Martin Junius and Eckart Wälzholz-Junius take over the company management together with the nephew Dieter Wälzholz
1954 // Formal opening of the Ludwig hall
until 1962 // Erection of five large halls and the relocation of the most important parts of the cold rolling plant with the high-performance reversing mill, the annealing shop and the dynamo strip department to Hagen; construction of a new annealing line for electrical steel strip
1966 // The new central administration building is set up in Hagen-Fley, Germany
1968 // Acquisition of a window construction company to found the production site Konstanz, metal construction department (Germany)
1969 // Erection of the production site "Hagen-Fley-Nord", Germany
1972 // Commissioning of a modern push-pull pickling line
1973 // Foundation of Brasmetal Waelzholz S.A. in São Paulo, Brazil, and close-down of the company "Union-Gesellschaft für Metallindustrie GmbH" in Fröndenberg, Germany
1975 // Commissioning of the large 4-stand tandem cold rolling mill
1983 // Expansion of the annealing plant and equipping it with bell annealing furnaces
1989 // Construction of a high rack storage warehouse; transformation of the production site Konstanz into the service center C.D. Wälzholz Trading GmbH
1990 // Management taken over by Dr.-Ing. Hans-Toni Junius and Herbert Otten (graduate economist)
1991 // Start of a modern ski edge center in Hagen-Hohenlimburg, Germany
1993 // Acquisition of the company “Gerätebau Huber” and foundation of Wälzholz Huber GmbH in Götzis (Austria), now called Waelzholz International GmbH
1996 // Acquisition of a Hoesch electrical steel continuous annealing furnace and together with D&B foundation of the joint subsidiary CDW-Edge in Cleveland, Ohio USA
2000 - today
2000 // Acquisition of "Hagen-Kabel", the former cold rolling mill "Hoesch Hohenlimburg", Germany
2001 // Acquisition of "IJ Stahleisenhandel" from Mrs. Inge Wälzholz-Junius and transformation into the CDW Service Center in Iserlohn-Stenglingsen, Germany, now called Waelzholz Service Center GmbH; and relocation of the production of the service center in Konstanz to Iserlohn; takeover of D&B and foundation of the CDW Service Center D&B, Ltd. in Cleveland/Ohio (USA) now called Waelzholz North America, LLC
2002 // Acquisition of the cold rolling mill "Kaltwalzwerk Brockhaus" in Plettenberg, Germany
2003 // Acquisition of Bernier in Thiers (France) and foundation of C.D. Wälzholz France SAS, now called Waelzholz France SAS
2005 // Dr.-Ing. Hans-Toni Junius takes over the company management as chairman of the Board
2007 // Acquisition of the cold rolling mill "Kaltwalzwerk Röchling KG" in Oberkochen, Germany; Foundation of Service Center "Wälzholz New Material (Taicang) Co., Ltd" in China and joint venture of CDW and "Hugo Kern and Liebers GmbH & Co. KG" to become Taicang Wälzholz – Kern-Liebers New Material Co., Ltd
2008 // CDW Asia in Hong Kong was in charge of sales for the Asian market from 2008 thru 2012
2011 // Acquisition of majority stake in Brasmetal Waelzholz S.A., today Waelzholz Brasmetal Laminação Ltda., in Sao Paulo
2014 // Expansion of the Service Center in Taicang to the first German cold rolling mill in China. The existing slitters and cut-to-length lines were completed by a four-high rolling stand and various high convection furnaces
2016 // Acquisition of the cold rolling division of Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH in Wickede (Ruhr region), Germany
2017 // Acquisition of the cold rolling mill Friedr. Gustav Theis Kaltwalzwerke GmbH in Hagen, Germany, including the service center Kuhbier und Knörr in Lüdenscheid, Germany, Waelzholz Italia S.r.l in Milano, Italy, and Waelzholz Polska Sp. z o.o. in Gliwice, Poland
2019 // Founding of the sales company Waelzholz México, S. de R.L. de C.V. in Mexico City
2019 // Construction of a new production hall in Hagen-Kabel, Germany, and initial operation of a new hardening and tempering line
2020 // Construction of a further 10,000 sqm (107,639 sq ft) hall at Waelzholz New Material in Taicang to double production capacity
2021 // M. Sc. Henrik Caspar Junius, son of Dr.-Ing. Hans-Toni Junius, joins the company management as Managing Director Production and IT
2022 // Dr.-Ing. Hans-Toni Junius moves from management to the company’s foundation council and takes over its chairmanship
2024 // Acquisition of the service center Tempracciaio S.r.l. in Milan, Italy
