Manufacture of quality wire, blank steel, construction steel, welding wire, tensioned wire, and overhead lines
Westfälische Drahtindustrie GmbH
Hamm · Rothenburg (Wettin-Löbejün) · Iserlohn · Schwerte · Zweibrücken/Ixheim · Salzgitter · Brandenburg an der Havel · Brotterode · Berlin · Dortmund · Venlo-Blerick (NL)New on Amplifa
About Westfälische Drahtindustrie
Westfälische Drahtindustrie GmbH (WDI), based in Hamm, manufactures wire and finished products in the fields of quality wire, blank steel, construction steel, high-performance ropes, tensioned wire, welding technology, overhead lines, as well as fences and meshes. The product portfolio includes iron and steel wire, cold forming wire, roller steel wire, spring steel wire, flat and profile wire, aluminum wire, cold drawn blank steel, cold-rippled construction steel (KR), lag mats, protective gas and UP wire electrodes, as well as overhead and ground wires. The core processing techniques include cold drawing on wire drawing machines, heat treatment, grinding, facing, and wire coiling; for blank steel, a dedicated ultrasonic testing system is available for non-destructive 100% control. Steels processed include those from roller steels to custom and tempered steels up to stainless quality, as well as aluminum and aluminum alloys. Customer industries include mechanical engineering, construction, automotive, energy, furniture and tool industries, forestry, shipbuilding, and electrical engineering. Approximately 1,300 employees are employed at around 15 sites in Germany and the Netherlands; the welding technology facility reaches a capacity of up to 60,000 t per year. The family-owned business has been led since 2009 by the managing partner Katja Pampus.
- Site
- Hamm
- Processes
- Cold drawing of wires (Wire drawing), Blank steel production (cold drawn bar steel), Grinding of round bars (Blank steel, turning off material), Facing, milling, and planing of bars (upon request), Ultrasonic inspection of round and hexagonal bars (100%-control, non-destructive), Heat treatment of blank steel (Soft annealing, GKZ annealing, Stress relief, Ferrite-Pearlite, Manufacturing of cold-rippled construction steel (KR) in rings and coils, Production of lag mats (Construction steel mats)
- Materials
- 11SMN30, 11SMNPB30, 11SMNPB30TE, 11SMNPBTEBI, 11SMNPb37, 16MnCrS5, 16MnCrPbS5, C15
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 50001, IATF 16949, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 (Rothenburg works), ISO 9001:2008 (nedri Spanstaal BV)
- Founded
- 1856
- Employees
- ca. 1.300
- Industries
- Mechanical Engineering, Construction Industry, Automotive, Energy Industry, Furniture and Tool Industry, Forestry
- 01
Acquisition of rolled wire raw material
- 02
Cold drawing on wire drawing machines
- 03
Heat treatment (Soft annealing, GKZ annealing, Stress relief, Final annealing)
- 04
Grinding, facing, milling, and planing
- 05
Ultrasonic inspection (non-destructive 100%-control)
- 06
Coiling of wires into cables (overhead lines)
- 07
Assembly and sales/trade
Materials and Processes
11SMN30
Roller steel for blank drawn bar and wire products.
C45
Tempered steel for blank steel in mechanical engineering and automotive.
16MnCrS5
Wear-resistant steel for cold drawn bars and cold forming wire.
X8CrNiS18-9
Stainless roller steel for blank steel applications.
X6CrNiMoTi17-12-2
Acid and heat resistant stainless steel for blank steel.
Construction Steel
Basis for cold-rippled construction steel (KR) and lag mats in construction.
E-Aluminum (min. 99.5 %)
Conductive material for hard drawn aluminum wire and overhead lines.
TAL/ZTAL heat-resistant aluminum
Aluminum alloy for high-temperature overhead lines up to 210 °C.
Cold drawing/cold flow press steels (SUPERSOFT)
Steels for cold forming wire to manufacture connecting elements.
Welding wire types (SG/UP)
Unalloyed and low alloy solid wire electrodes for gas and low-hydrogen welding.
Sites
Hamm (Headquarters)
DEHeadquarters, Administration, Welding Technology, Tension Wire, Blank Steel, Cold Drawing Wire
- Part weight / size
- Bars from Ø 8 mm (Ultrasonic Inspection)
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Roller, wear, and tempered steels, stainless steel
- Wire drawing machines (Drawing machines)
- Ultrasonic testing system for round and hexagonal bars
Rothenburg (Wettin-Löbejün)
DEFactory for Iron/Steel Wire, Welding Technology, Aluminum Wire, Overhead Lines
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Steel, E-Aluminum, TAL/ZTAL
- Wire drawing machines (Drawing machines)
Iserlohn
DEFactory Iserlohn-Kalthof: Cold Forming and Roller Wire (PC 10)
- Part weight / size
- Wire 1.5–42 mm
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Cold flow press steels, roller steels
Schwerte
DEBlank Steel Factory
- Part weight / size
- Round 2–42 mm, Hexagonal 4–36 mm
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Roller, mechanical engineering, and stainless steels
- Ultrasonic testing system
Zweibrücken/Ixheim
DEBlank Steel Factory
- Part weight / size
- Round 2–42 mm
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Roller, mechanical engineering, and stainless steels
Salzgitter
DEConstruction Steel Factory: Cold-rippled construction steel (KR) and lag mats
- Part weight / size
- Wire Ø 5.0–12.0 mm; Mats up to 2,350 mm width
- Lot size
- Large series
- Materials
- Construction steel according to DIN 488
- Plant technology for cold-rippled construction steel and lag mats
Brandenburg an der Havel
DEConstruction Steel Factory: Reinforcement wire
- Lot size
- Large series
- Materials
- Construction steel according to DIN 488
- Wire drawing machines (Drawing machines)
Brotterode
DEFlat and Profile Wire Factory
- Lot size
- Small to Large series
- Materials
- Steel
Berlin
DEOverhead Lines Factory (Gradestraße 109)
- Part weight / size
- Conductor cross-sections 16–1,250 mm²
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- E-Aluminum, alloyed aluminum, galvanized steel wire
Venlo-Blerick (NL)
NLSubsidiary Nedri Spanstaal B.V.: Tension Wire
- Lot size
- Medium to Large series
- Materials
- Steel
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold drawing of wires (Wire drawing)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminum |
| Blank steel production (cold drawn bar steel)Machining | ISO h11-h9-h8 (drawn), up to ISO h6 (ground) | Bar lengths 1,500 - 6,300 and/or 7,000 × Round 2-42 mm; Hexagonal 4-36 mm; | Bundle weights 1,000 - 3,000 kg | – | Roller steels, Mechanical engineering steels, Wear steels, Tempered steels, Construction steels (1.0122 S235JRC, 1.0579 S355J2C), Tool steels, Stainless steels (1.4305), acid and heat resistant steels |
| Grinding of round bars (Blank steel, turning off material)Machining | up to ISO h6 · controlled homogeneous surface roughness | – | – | – | Steel |
| Facing, milling, and planing of bars (upon request)Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Ultrasonic inspection of round and hexagonal bars (100%-control, non-destructive)Testing | – | Round bars from Ø 8 mm (Details) | – | – | Steel |
| Heat treatment of blank steel (Soft annealing, GKZ annealing, Stress relief, Ferrite-PearliteHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Manufacturing of cold-rippled construction steel (KR) in rings and coilsForming | – | – | Coils 2,500 kg or custom | – | Construction steel according to DIN 488 |
| Production of lag mats (Construction steel mats)Assembly | – | 5,000 or 6,000 mm × 2,150 - 2,350 mm | – | – | Construction steel according to DIN 488 (Wire Ø 5.0 - 10.0 |
| Manufacturing of gas welding wire electrodes (SG/MAG)Assembly | – | – | – | – | unalloyed and low alloy steels (welding consumables) |
| Manufacturing of UP wire electrodes (Low-hydrogen welding)Assembly | – | – | – | – | unalloyed and low alloy steels |
| Manufacturing of gas welding sticksAssembly | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Coiling of wires into overhead and ground wiresForming | – | 16 - 1,250 mm² conductor cross-section | Coils up to 2,600 mm flange diameter | – | E-Aluminum EN 60889, alloyed aluminum EN 50183, TAL/ZTAL aluminum EN 62004, galvanized steel wire EN 50189, aluminum-sheathed steel wires EN 61232 |
| Manufacturing of hard drawn and annealed aluminum wireForming | – | Wire diameter 1.80 - 10.00 mm | Conical coils up to max. 1,000 kg | – | E-Aluminum (min. 99.5 %), AlMgSi alloys, Aluminum for cold forming parts |
| Manufacturing of cold forming wire (Cold drawing/Cold flow press wire, spring steel wire,Forming | – | 1.5 mm - 42 mm | – | – | Cold drawing/Cold flow press steels, Wear steels, Tempered/AFP steels, pre-tempered steels, chain steels, spring steels, tool and rolling bearing steels |
| Manufacturing of roller steel wire (cold drawn, bright/bright blank/phosphated)Forming | ISO h11-h9-h8 | Coils 2.0-15.0 mm; Rings 2.0-12.0 mm; | Coils up to 2,500 kg | – | Roller steels according to DIN EN 10263 Part 2-4, DIN EN 10267, Special analyses |
| Production of tensioned wireForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Manufacturing of flat and profile wireForming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Manufacturing of iron/fabrication wireForming | – | – | – | – | Iron/Steel |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wire drawing machines | – | – | – | – | Hamm, Schwerte, Rothenburg, Brandenburg/Havel, Zwickau (Training works) |
| Ultrasonic testing system for round and hexagonal bars (static, without rotation) | – | – | Round bars from Ø 8 mm (Details cut off) | – | Blank steel works Hamm/Schwerte/Zweibrücken |
| Plant technology for cold-rippled construction steel and lag mats | – | – | Wire Ø 5.0-12.0 mm; Mats up to 2,350 mm width | – | Salzgitter |
| Rolling mill (Rolled wire raw material) | – | – | – | – | historically Hamm (since 1820/1856); raw material procured for KR products |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality Management
WDI operates with a quality management system according to ISO 9001; for the Hamm and Iserlohn roller drawing wire sites, IATF 16949 is additionally applicable. For construction steel products, continuous quality monitoring is carried out by the in-house quality department and the external monitoring body MPA Dortmund. Blank steel is subjected to a non-destructive 100% inspection using a dedicated ultrasonic testing system.
| Evidence | Hamm | Rothenburg | Iserlohn |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |||
| ISO 50001 | |||
| IATF 16949 |
Company History
- 1797
Brothers Wilhelm and Johann-Caspar Hobrecker take over the family forge at the Nordentor in Hamm.
- 1820
Concession for a iron rolling mill in Hamm; industrial production of drawn wires begins utilizing the hydroelectric power of the Lippe (Hobrecker Brothers).
- 1854
Carl Hobrecker separates from the parent company and joins Hermann and Julius Witte as well as Hermann Herbers from Iserlohn.
- 1856
Foundation of Drahtwerk Hobrecker, Witte & Herbers in Hamm; steam power is used for the first time in a wire works in Europe.
- 1865
The main works is named after Eduard Hobrecker; move to the Hammer Hütte premises, replacement of hydroelectric power with steam engines.
- 1872
Re-registration as the joint-stock company Westphälischer Draht-Industrie-Verein, entry on December 15th.
- 1972
Merger with the Klöckner Wire Industry to form Vereinigte Drahtindustrie GmbH (VDI, VDG from 1974).
- 1978
Acquisition by Klöckner-Werke AG; firm name Klöckner Draht GmbH.
- 1987
Planned utilization of the company by the Klöckner Concern (partial sale, merger, sale) fails.
- 2009
Katja Pampus takes over the management of the family business.
- 2012
Decision to introduce an energy management system (ISO 50001) at the Hamm and Rothenburg sites.
- 2022
The Hamm operational site, Otto-Brenner-Strasse, is classified as a minor incident facility.
- 2024
Siemens Mobility Supplier Award Sustainability 2024 for overhead lines (Egypt Rail Project, over 1,440 t CO2 savings).
- 2024
The Rothenburg works receives the OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certification.