STEINERT History

Strong roots for the future

Tradition is both a commitment and the basis for long-term success. It is the company's history that lends STEINERT its indispensible identity.

Documents dating back more than 100 years testify to the early pioneering achievements of Ferdinand Steinert, the company's founder. Steeped in history, they are the origin of a development spanning from separating compact iron chunks to high-tech filtering of tiny microparticles.

Just click your way through the many interesting milestones in our exciting company history.

2007 to the present

High-quality products from STEINERT are very popular on the market. For example, by the end of 2007, around 2200 non-ferrous metal separators, featuring an eccentric magnet system, had been sold, making it the best-selling eddy current separator worldwide.

 

Today, STEINERT continues to pursue its successful path. Together with committed and renowned Brazilian and Japanese companies, we have established an efficient sales and distribution network.

The acquisition of a majority share in RTT Systemtechnik GmbH Zittau and changing the company's name to RTT STEINERT GmbH in 2009 completed the product range. STEINERT is now the only full-range manufacturer of sorting technology in the recycling sector.

With its products, modern networking system, and extremely positive responses from all over the world, STEINERT Elektromagnetbau GmbH is excellently positioned. The ideal basis for adding more chapters to STEINERT's success story in the future.

2004 – From Australia to China

Acquiring the operations of the Sturton-Gill company in Australia in 2004 marked an important step towards establishing a worldwide customer orientation. Under its new name, Melbourne-based STEINERT Australia Pty. Ltd. ranks among the leading magnet manufacturers in the Asian-Pacific region, supplying both the growing recycling industry and the thriving minerals industry there. A significant portion of the products is exported from Australia to China.

2003 – STEINERT goes USA

In 2003, the company launches its HGS high gradient magnetic separator for separating ultra-fine paramagnetic particles in salt and construction chemicals.

The overwhelming success of STEINERT's products on the North American market leads to the founding of STEINERT US LTD in St. Petersburg, Florida, a joint venture with the company's longstanding representative in the USA. Customers across the USA quickly benefit from the established infrastructure, and reward the move with a substantially increased order volume.

STEINERT 2000 plus – New products and global alignment

The new millennium starts with the systematic introduction of a new generation in the company, as well as intensive research and development activities that will enable the launch of new, and in some cases unique, equipment on the sorting technology market. New subsidiaries and sales cooperations strengthen STEINERT's worldwide presence as well.

Advancements in the sensor and computer technology segments facilitate the targeted development of the FSS® colour sorting system and the ISS® induction sorting system. Both device types aim at further increasing the metal output by utilising fully mechanised processes. In particular, the ISS® induction sorting system, first introduced in 2001, gains worldwide acceptance on the metal recyling market during the time of the raw materials boom. At the same time, new markets emerge in the areas of refuse derived fuel production, wood preparation and plastics recycling.

With the development and launch of the HGF high-gradient magnetic filter, Steinert breaks new ground in the industry. For the first time, the permanent magnet matrix separator makes it possible to separate ultra-fine magnetic components from process fluids with an efficiency of more than 90 %. Today, the HGF is used all around the world. Moreover, it has established itself in the biotechnology sector, letting this rapidly developing industry benefit from the innovative STEINERT technology as well.

1987 - Eccentric non-ferrous separator

In 1987, STEINERT launches the first eccentric non-ferrous separator. It is used to recover non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, copper, magnesium and brass, and replaces the centric system. Once again, STEINERT proves to be a leading pioneer for an entire industry.

Late 1960s

At the end of the 1960s, STEINERT outranks its American competitors by developing an innovative product that makes it the world leader: the Anofol strip. While American companies used conventional copper coils, STEINERT is the first manufacturer to utilise anodised aluminium strips. The compact coil produced with this method is primarily characterised by an outstanding fill factor as well as excellent thermal conductivity. This innovation, which is also used in other industry sectors, marks another leap forward for STEINERT.

In the following years, the development and production processes continuously shift towards separation. Due to a changing economy, lifting magnets experience a declining market share. But the company responds quickly and views the more demanding requirements of its customers as a new challenge.

1966 - The first suspension magnet

In 1966, STEINERT introduces the first suspension magnet for recovering iron from shredder material, household waste, construction waste, refuse and steel-making slag. Several thousand of these machines will be deployed worldwide in the coming years.

1963 - New lifting magnet series

With innovative new products, STEINERT quickly picks up on its success story following the post-war reconstruction years: In 1963, the company presents the prototype of a new lifting magnet series at its own booth at the Hanover Trade Fair. The advantages: lightweight, higher magnetic force, low price.

At the same time, the topics of waste processing and recycling are becoming increasingly more important in the 1960s. Dwindling resources, environmental protection requirements as well as exploding costs on the commodities market make new technologies essential. STEINERT consistently meets these challenges with great passion and a whole range of new products...

1931 – Birth of a strong company group

Julius Christian Buchholz acquires the "Ferdinand STEINERT Elektromagnetische Aufbereitungsanlagen" company. The two companies are an optimal fit and further expand their market position during the next decades. The huge advantages of the cooperation become apparent in no time: The customers benefit from the bundled development expertise and strong synergies.

The merger yields a quick result with a breakthrough in the anodising process. STEINERT is the first company to use anodised aluminium conductors for manufacturing coils. The anodised layer functions as an electrical insulator and eliminates the need to wrap or varnish the aluminium conductors. The process is continuously improved over the next decades.

The company's site in Cologne was damaged extensively during World War II, but the management and employees are not disheartened by the outrages of the war: They make rapid progress on reconstruction and expand the product range. STEINERT also begins to establish itself more strongly on the international market.

1900 - Ideal business conditions

At the start of the new century, business conditions are ideal for the young STEINERT company. The order book is filled, with customers coming from the mining, shipbuilding, dockyard and steel industries. But a growing customer base also brings greater technical challenges: Gone are the days when separator magnets only had to deal with chunky hammers or iron lugs; on the contrary, the objects to be separated are becoming smaller, and the technology is becoming more complex. With increasing frequency, the machines in the coal mines need to precisely filter out smaller waste objects, such as thin ignition wires and bent drill rods, from the bulk material.

STEINERT responds by expanding its product line to adapt to the continuously fluctuating market situation: Magnets are now also sold as standalone devices. In addition to improving the separation capacity, the market for lifting magnets is taking on greater importance.

1889 - Foundation of the STEINERT company

In 1889, Ferdinand Steinert establishes his "Ferdinand STEINERT Elektromagnetische Aufbereitungsanlagen" company in the metropolitan city of Cologne, Germany. The new enterprise starts out small, but the market for separator magnets is huge, because the phenomenon of magnetism, although known since the eleventh century, has thus far only been commercially exploited to a very limited extent.

The steel industry is one of the company's first customers. F. Steinert, a designing engineer by trade, develops magnets that can be used to recover iron from steel slag and debris as well as from foundry and steel-making waste. An effective process that is soon upgraded to separate coal from slag as well. This technological advance rouses the interest of the German Reichsbahn railway operator, who then becomes STEINERT's next corporate customer.

Right from the start, the mission of the company's founder Ferdinand Steinert is clear: efficient recycling!