Société des forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maisons
Encyclopedia
The Compagnie anonyme de Châtillon et Commentry was a French steelmaking company, formed as a limited company in 1862 from the Société Bouguéret, Martenot et Cie., a creation from the combination of several french iron makers in 1846.
In 1898 the company merged with the Société métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves-Maisons to form the Société des forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maisons.
In 1979 the works became part of Usinor
, forming part of the Unimetal division in 1984. By 2000 the plant in Neuves-Maisons
had become part of the Riva Group and as of 2011 produces mainly long products including rebar
from scrap metal using electric arc furnace
s.
, with a ready supply of wood from the region's forests, and near surface deposits of iron ore the area became one of the major production centres of iron in France in the 19th century, the company Bazile, Louis-Maître & Cie. was formed in 1824 by several ironworks owners, one of whom Auguste de Marmont had introduced the 'english process' of using coke from coal in iron production.
In Allier
, Nicholas Rambourg took advantage of the availability of wood for charcoal producion in the Forest of Tronçais
and started iron production in 1788.
The organisation Société Bouguéret, Martenot et Cie. was formed in 1846 from the merging of the businesses of forgemasters in Allier
and Châtillon
. The founders of the company include members of the families Bouguéret, Martenot, Bazile, Rambourg, Maître, Humbert and others; the new société had 37 blast furnaces, 56 forges, 3 wire works, and 4 puddling furnaces.
In 1862 conversion to a limited company
took place, the company then took the name Compagnie anonyme de Châtillon et Commentry.
by France as a result the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
meant the loss of many iron and steelworks; new production sites were needed and the site in Chavigny
(Neuves-Maisons
) was chosen a due to the presence of iron deposits, and proximity to the Nancy-Dijon railway line and the planned Canal de l'Est
. The first blast furnace opened in 1874, and a second in 1882. The company also operated the mine of Maron-Val de Fert in Neuves-Maisons
.
In Liverdun
iron making activities had begun in 1864 with the opening of an iron mine by Barbe et Schmidt. Three blast furnaces, a foundry and rolling mill had been built by 1868. Mineral extraction ended in 1877 and the associated works cease by 1879. Activities restarted in 1881 as des forges et laminoirs de Champigneulles.
In 1887 the Métallurgique de Haute Moselle merged with the Forges de Champigneulles to form the Société Métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves Maisons. In 1897 the company merged with Châtillon et Commentry.
At Neuves-Maisons production continued; by 1898 the works had five blast furnace; in 1902 a Gilchrist-Thomas converter was installed, and in rolling mills for long products installed the following year, in 1905 a mill for slag
was added. A Siemens-Martin furnace was added 1909, and the next year facilities for production of wire added. By 1914 seven blast furnaces had been installed.
The Usine Saint-Jacques in Montluçon
(Allier
) (founded 1848.) was initially a smelter, but had rapidly expanded into steel making using Siemens-Martin, Gilchrist, and Bessemer converters; by the 1900s it was operating 8 Siemens-Martin furnaces. It specialised in castings and forgings. It was affected negatively by the Washington Naval Treaty
as production of battleship turrets, gun fittings and projectiles was a important element of its business, afterwhich the company diversified into mechanical engineering, including turbines, railway and other transport equipment. A subsidairy rolling mill existed at Commentry. It closed in 1964.
In 1917 the company Forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maison together with the Société de Construction des Batignolles
founded the locomotive manufacturer Compagnie générale de construction de locomotives (Batignolles-Châtillon) in Nantes
.
In 1955 the works in Neuves-Maisons, plus the associated lime kilns in Vaucouleurs
, and wire mills in Sainte Colombe and Vierzon
became the Société des Aciéries et Tréfilerie de Neuves-Maisons Chatillon, this became a subsidiary of Hainaut-Sambre
in 1967. The works was further developed; in 1969 the Gilchrist-Thomas unit was converted to Oxygen steelmaking, and in the 1970s more mill trains were addded including a second wire mill. The Chatillon wire mill company merged with the Société des Hauts Forneaux de la Chiers, and the Compagnie des Forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Biache to form the Compagnie industrielle Chiers Châtillon (CICC) in 1977, which was merged into Usinor
in 1979.
After acquisition by Usinor in 1979 the works in Neuves-Maisons underwent restructuring - a transition to electrically produced steel, and a concentration towards long products took place in the 1980s: the Siemens-Martin plant and coke ovens were closed, and a new continuous casting
plant built, in 1985 all the liquid phase operations ended and a UHP electric arc furnace
installed. In 1993 the plant along with works in Montereau
becomes part of the société des aciers d’armature du béton (SAM), and three cold drawing lines were installed. In 1995 the company is acquired by the British firm Allied Steel and Wire, then in 2000 is acquired by the Riva Group. In 2004 steel production was ~840,000t pa, and employed 441 people. In 2006 production was from scrap metal by electrical plant producing continuous cast billet
s, with processing to wire rod and rebar
.
In 1898 the company merged with the Société métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves-Maisons to form the Société des forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maisons.
In 1979 the works became part of Usinor
Usinor
Usinor was a French steel making group formed in 1948. The group was merged with Sacilor in 1986, becoming Usinor-Sacilor and was privatised in 1995, and renamed Usinor in 1997....
, forming part of the Unimetal division in 1984. By 2000 the plant in Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
had become part of the Riva Group and as of 2011 produces mainly long products including rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
from scrap metal using electric arc furnace
Electric arc furnace
An electric arc furnace is a furnace that heats charged material by means of an electric arc.Arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one ton capacity up to about 400 ton units used for secondary steelmaking...
s.
Compagnie anonyme de Châtillon et Commentry
Metal working in the Châtillonais region dated back to the Iron ageIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, with a ready supply of wood from the region's forests, and near surface deposits of iron ore the area became one of the major production centres of iron in France in the 19th century, the company Bazile, Louis-Maître & Cie. was formed in 1824 by several ironworks owners, one of whom Auguste de Marmont had introduced the 'english process' of using coke from coal in iron production.
In Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
, Nicholas Rambourg took advantage of the availability of wood for charcoal producion in the Forest of Tronçais
Forest of Tronçais
The Forest of Tronçais is a French national forest, a forêt domaniale, comprising 10,600 hectares in the Allier, managed by the Office national des forêts...
and started iron production in 1788.
The organisation Société Bouguéret, Martenot et Cie. was formed in 1846 from the merging of the businesses of forgemasters in Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
and Châtillon
Châtillon-sur-Seine
Châtillon-sur-Seine is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Personalities:Châtillon-sur-Seine was the birthplace of:* Auguste Marmont, duke of Ragusa , Marshal of France...
. The founders of the company include members of the families Bouguéret, Martenot, Bazile, Rambourg, Maître, Humbert and others; the new société had 37 blast furnaces, 56 forges, 3 wire works, and 4 puddling furnaces.
In 1862 conversion to a limited company
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
took place, the company then took the name Compagnie anonyme de Châtillon et Commentry.
Société métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves-Maisons
The Société Métallurgique de la Haute-Moselle was formed in 1872 by Victor de Lespinats and others; the loss of Alsace-LorraineAlsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
by France as a result the 1870 Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
meant the loss of many iron and steelworks; new production sites were needed and the site in Chavigny
Chavigny, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Chavigny is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
(Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
) was chosen a due to the presence of iron deposits, and proximity to the Nancy-Dijon railway line and the planned Canal de l'Est
Canal de l'Est
The Canal de l'Est is a canal in northeastern France. It was built from 1874 to 1887 and has a total length of . It consists of two parts: a northern branch linking the Meuse River and the Moselle, and a southern branch linking the Moselle to the Saône...
. The first blast furnace opened in 1874, and a second in 1882. The company also operated the mine of Maron-Val de Fert in Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons
Neuves-Maisons is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
.
In Liverdun
Liverdun
Liverdun is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
iron making activities had begun in 1864 with the opening of an iron mine by Barbe et Schmidt. Three blast furnaces, a foundry and rolling mill had been built by 1868. Mineral extraction ended in 1877 and the associated works cease by 1879. Activities restarted in 1881 as des forges et laminoirs de Champigneulles.
In 1887 the Métallurgique de Haute Moselle merged with the Forges de Champigneulles to form the Société Métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves Maisons. In 1897 the company merged with Châtillon et Commentry.
Société des forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maison
In 1898 Compagnie anonyme de Châtillon et Commentry merged with the Société métallurgique de Champigneulles et Neuves-Maisons, and became the Société des forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maisons.At Neuves-Maisons production continued; by 1898 the works had five blast furnace; in 1902 a Gilchrist-Thomas converter was installed, and in rolling mills for long products installed the following year, in 1905 a mill for slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
was added. A Siemens-Martin furnace was added 1909, and the next year facilities for production of wire added. By 1914 seven blast furnaces had been installed.
The Usine Saint-Jacques in Montluçon
Montluçon
Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais...
(Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
) (founded 1848.) was initially a smelter, but had rapidly expanded into steel making using Siemens-Martin, Gilchrist, and Bessemer converters; by the 1900s it was operating 8 Siemens-Martin furnaces. It specialised in castings and forgings. It was affected negatively by the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
as production of battleship turrets, gun fittings and projectiles was a important element of its business, afterwhich the company diversified into mechanical engineering, including turbines, railway and other transport equipment. A subsidairy rolling mill existed at Commentry. It closed in 1964.
In 1917 the company Forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Neuves-Maison together with the Société de Construction des Batignolles
Société de Construction des Batignolles
The Société de Construction des Batignolles was a civil engineering company of France created in 1871 as a public limited company from the 1846 limited partnership of Ernest Gouin et Cie....
founded the locomotive manufacturer Compagnie générale de construction de locomotives (Batignolles-Châtillon) in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
.
In 1955 the works in Neuves-Maisons, plus the associated lime kilns in Vaucouleurs
Vaucouleurs
Vaucouleurs is a commune in the Meuse department.Joan of Arc stayed in Vaucouleurs for several months during 1428 and 1429 while she sought permission to visit the royal court of Charles VII of France.* Distance from Paris: -External links:* *...
, and wire mills in Sainte Colombe and Vierzon
Vierzon
Vierzon is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A medium-sized town by the banks of the Cher River with some light industry and an area of forestry and farming to the north...
became the Société des Aciéries et Tréfilerie de Neuves-Maisons Chatillon, this became a subsidiary of Hainaut-Sambre
Hainaut-Sambre
Hainaut-Sambre was a Belgian group of steel companies based in the Charleroi region, it was founded in 1955 by the merger of Usine Métallurgiques du Hainaut , and the metal making division of Sambre et Moselle .The company absorbed another Charleroi based steel group Thy-Marcinelle et Providence...
in 1967. The works was further developed; in 1969 the Gilchrist-Thomas unit was converted to Oxygen steelmaking, and in the 1970s more mill trains were addded including a second wire mill. The Chatillon wire mill company merged with the Société des Hauts Forneaux de la Chiers, and the Compagnie des Forges de Châtillon-Commentry-Biache to form the Compagnie industrielle Chiers Châtillon (CICC) in 1977, which was merged into Usinor
Usinor
Usinor was a French steel making group formed in 1948. The group was merged with Sacilor in 1986, becoming Usinor-Sacilor and was privatised in 1995, and renamed Usinor in 1997....
in 1979.
Legacy
Neuves-MaisonsAfter acquisition by Usinor in 1979 the works in Neuves-Maisons underwent restructuring - a transition to electrically produced steel, and a concentration towards long products took place in the 1980s: the Siemens-Martin plant and coke ovens were closed, and a new continuous casting
Continuous casting
Continuous casting, also called strand casting, is the process whereby molten metal is solidified into a "semifinished" billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent rolling in the finishing mills. Prior to the introduction of continuous casting in the 1950s, steel was poured into stationary molds to form...
plant built, in 1985 all the liquid phase operations ended and a UHP electric arc furnace
Electric arc furnace
An electric arc furnace is a furnace that heats charged material by means of an electric arc.Arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one ton capacity up to about 400 ton units used for secondary steelmaking...
installed. In 1993 the plant along with works in Montereau
Montereau
Montereau is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France....
becomes part of the société des aciers d’armature du béton (SAM), and three cold drawing lines were installed. In 1995 the company is acquired by the British firm Allied Steel and Wire, then in 2000 is acquired by the Riva Group. In 2004 steel production was ~840,000t pa, and employed 441 people. In 2006 production was from scrap metal by electrical plant producing continuous cast billet
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
s, with processing to wire rod and rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
.