COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 42151

Metals Service Centers and Offices

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

14companies1842–1967founding years13still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedJoseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc.FoundedRyerson Tull, Inc.
1842
1856
TechnologyBessemer's process makes cheap steel possible.
FoundedPirelli S.p.A.
1872
FoundedMetallgesellschaft AG
1881
FoundedARBED S.A.
1882
1886
TechnologyThe Hall-Heroult process makes aluminum cheap to produce.
FoundedHowmet Corp.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedA.M. Castle & Co.
1904
FoundedAzcon Corporation
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel
1935
FoundedAllegheny Ludlum CorporationFoundedEngelhard Corporation
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPark Corp.
1948
FoundedThe Marmon Group, Inc.
1953
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBritish Steel plc
1967
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc. →
Active · founded 1842
Under the parentage of Inland Steel since 1935, Joseph T.
Ryerson Tull, Inc. →
Active · founded 1842
Ryerson Tull, Inc.
Pirelli S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1872 · Italy
Pirelli S.p.A.
Metallgesellschaft AG →
Active · founded 1881 · Germany
Metallgesellschaft AG (MG), based in the heart of Frankfurt since its foundation, is a conglomerate providing raw…
ARBED S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1882 · Luxembourg
ARBED S.A., based in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, heads an international group of 189 companies engaged in every…
Howmet Corp. →
Active · founded 1903
Howmet Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pechiney International, produces high-technology components used in…
A.M. Castle & Co. →
Active · founded 1904
A.M.
Azcon Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Azcon Corporation, one of Chicago's most successful and oldest firms, is widely recognized as part of the top-ten…
JSC MMC Norilsk Nickel →
Active · founded 1935 · Russia
With headquarters in Moscow, holding company JSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (Norilsk Nickel Mining and Metallurgical Company)…
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of specialty steel and other specialty metals in the…
Engelhard Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Engelhard Corporation is a leading supplier of catalysts used in the petroleum, chemical, and food industries.
Park Corp. →
Active · founded 1948
Founded by Raymond P.
The Marmon Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
The Marmon Group, Inc., one of the largest privately owned organizations in the United States, is in essence a holding…
British Steel plc →
Active · founded 1967 · United Kingdom
British Steel plc is the third largest steel producer in the world and the largest steel producer in Europe.
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