Our history
A brief history of Laura Metaal.
1937 | Foundation of IJzerwerk Hollander
In 1937, Erich Hollander establishes N.V. IJzerwerk Hollander in Spekholzerheide (Kerkrade). The company purchases scrap from mining areas in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and supplies it to the steel mills of Koninklijke Hoogovens.
1963 | A changing market
The decline of the mining industry around 1963 heralds a difficult period for IJzerwerk Hollander. The company starts to focus on its existing product range in existing markets.
1968 | New owners
Laura & Vereeniging and Koninklijke Hoogovens acquire IJzerwerk Hollander in 1968. The company continues to operate in existing markets under the name Laura Metaal N.V. The product range is expanded to include new products such as crash barriers and hot-rolled press parts for the heavy transport industry.
1973 | Relocation to Eygelshoven
Due to necessary expansion, the factory relocates to Eygelshoven in 1973. The name changes from Laura Metaal N.V. to Laura Metaal B.V. From that moment on, the product range expands further to include sea containers and steel construction walls.
1987 | Opening of Maastricht site
In 1987, Laura Metaal opens a second site in Maastricht, on the Beatrixhaven industrial estate. The main activities carried out here include decoiling hot-rolled material and pickling plates.
1994 | Acquisition of Staalcenter Roermond
In 1994, Laura Metaal acquires Staalcenter Roermond, a steel and plate processing company owned by Koninklijke Hoogovens.
1995 | Change of name
Following the acquisition in 1994, the company changes its name in 1995 to include the various locations: Laura Staalcenter Maastricht B.V. and Laura Metaal Eygelshoven B.V.
1995 | Opening of Beverwijk site
Laura Staalcenter Maastricht opens a new facility in Beverwijk in 1995. Here, residual material from Koninklijke Hoogovens is stored and distributed.
2003 | New decoiling plant
In 2002, Laura Staalcenter Maastricht invests in a Sundwig-Kohler decoiling plant, which is put into operation in 2003. This new plant processes high-strength steels from coil into various plate sizes.
2003 | Consolidation of operations in Eygelshoven
In 2003, Laura Staalcenter Roermond’s processing operations are transferred to Eygelshoven, so that everything is consolidated in one location. Operations continue under the name Laura Metaal Eygelshoven B.V.
2007 | New plate-pickling line
Thanks to the introduction of a plate pickling line in 2007, which was developed in-house, Laura Staalcenter Maastricht has a unique installation that pickles plates continuously. Remarkably, the quality is indistinguishable from coil pickling and the installation can even handle plates of high-strength steel and plates thicker than 8 mm.
2009 | High-strength decoiling line
In 2009, Laura Metaal invests in a heavy decoiling line for high-strength steel for Laura Staalcenter Maastricht, known as the FIMI. This line can cut and trim coils to steel plates, up to 2,000mm wide and 20mm thick.
2011 | New halls in Maastricht
To store all incoming coils inside, work starts on the construction of two new halls at Laura Staalcenter Maastricht in 2011. The enclosed facility elevates the company’s services to a higher level.
2015 | Decoiling line upgrade I
In 2015, the FIMI decoiling line installed in 2009 gets an upgrade. By replacing a number of essential machine parts, Laura Staalcenter Maastricht can now also decoil coils with thicknesses of up to 25 mm into plates.
2017 | Decoiling line upgrade II
In 2017, Laura Steelcenter Maastricht’s FIMI decoiling line gets another upgrade so that it can process ultra-high-strength steels with yield strengths of up to 1,500 N/mm2. The line is now one of the most robust in Europe.
2018 | Solar panels in Maastricht
The installation of almost 2,000 solar panels on the roofs of the Maastricht facility, which together generate 0.5 GWh of electricity per year, marks the first step towards producing steel plates in a more sustainable way.
2019 | Expansion in Maastricht
Due to the increasing demand for decoiling and pickling, one of the coil halls at Laura Steelcenter Maastricht is expanded in 2019. The company also buys the neighboring plot and a location on the same industrial estate (Beatrixhaven).
2020 | Establishment of Steeltestlab
To help customers who want to know more about the exact properties of their steel, the Steeltestlab is established in Maastricht in 2020. This independent state-of-the-art laboratory tests the chemical and mechanical values of steel based on various steel tests.
2020 | Closure of Laura Metaal Eygelshoven
In 2020, Laura Metaal Eygelshoven B.V. ceases operations due to the disappointing demand for its own products for securing road works.
2021 | New office in Maastricht
In 2021, the office on Klipperweg in Maastricht, which was purchased in 2020, becomes the home base for the commercial, finance, HR, and ICT departments.
2021 | New re-leveler
In 2021, the Kohler Peak Performer replaces the re-leveler from the 1950s. Thanks to this improvement, Laura Steelcenter Maastricht can process steel plates that are up to 12mm thick and can achieve a yield strength of up to 1,000 N/mm2.