Georgsmarienhütte/Wetzlar, 07.10.2026
GMH Gruppe recommissions one of Europe’s largest open-die forging presses
80-MN press in Wetzlar strengthens production capabilities for energy, maritime and digital infrastructure applications
GMH Gruppe is recommissioning the 80-MN open-die forging press at Buderus Edelstahl in Wetzlar in response to growing demand for large and highly complex forged components. The facility is among the largest open-die forging presses in Europe and expands the group’s position in strategically important industrial sectors, including energy infrastructure, international shipbuilding and digital infrastructure.
The GMH Open Die Forging Group brings together Buderus Edelstahl, Schmiedewerke Gröditz and Kind & Co. under a single industrial structure, combining their complementary capabilities in open-die forgings, tool and engineering steels, rolled rings and remelted steels. Together, the three companies, the entire value chain from steel production and remelting to forging, heat treatment and machining, with an annual output of more than 100,000 tonnes. GMH Gruppe is investing around €30 million across the Open Die Forging Group to further integrate the sites, modernize production technology expand capabilities.
GMH Gruppe’s forging business has recorded strong growth in recent years, driven in particular by demand from the energy and infrastructure sectors. Recommissioning the press gives the company additional capacity to respond to demand for forged components used in energy systems, maritime applications and data center infrastructure. The group also expects increasing demand from emerging industrial applications such as fusion technology and other high performance engineering sectors requiring complex metallurgical solutions.
In addition, the GMH Open Die Forging Group plans to further expand in tool steel rounds and flats. The company sees growth potential particularly in Asia and the Americas, where demand for high-performance forged and tool steel solutions continues to increase.
“The 80-MN press gives us additional capacity and flexibility to serve our customers in demanding applications we can offer our customers,” says Monika Boh, Chairman of the Board of the GMH Open Die Forging Group. “Especially in energy, shipbuilding and other demanding industrial applications, we are seeing growing demand for large forgings with complex metallurgical requirements. With this additional capability in Wetzlar, we are positioning the Open Die Forging Group precisely for this demand.”
The recommissioning of the 80-MN press is part of GMH Gruppe’s broader strategy to integrate and strengthen the Open Die Forging Group’s production and value chains with GMH Gruppe. Forged products at Buderus Edelstahl will increasingly be manufactured using steel produced from recycled scrap in GMH Gruppe’s electric arc furnace plants in Gröditz, Bous and Georgsmarienhütte. Compared with conventional blast furnace production routes, this approach can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80 percent.
At the same time, GMH Gruppe is strengthening its internal production network and expanding resilient European supply chains for industrial customers.
“Demand for large and highly complex forged components is increasing significantly in sectors such as energy infrastructure, maritime applications and digital industries,” says Dr. Alexander Becker, CEO of GMH Gruppe. “Bringing the 80-MN press back into operation gives us greater flexibility to respond to this demand. At the same time, we are connecting the capabilities of our sites more closely and strengthening industrial value creation in Germany.”
The 80-MN press enables the production of large forged components with demanding metallurgical requirements. Within the GMH Open Die Forging Group, integrated value chains cover the entire process from steel production, remelting and forging through to heat treatment and machining.
About GMH Gruppe
GMH Gruppe is a full-service provider of steel products, ranging from scrap-based steelmaking to ready-to-install components. It is one of Europe’s largest privately owned metal-processing companies. The group comprises more than 20 steels, forging and casting sites, serving customers in over 50 countries. With around 6,000 employees, GMH Gruppe generates annual revenues of approximately €2 billion.
GMH Gruppe has been producing steel via the electric steelmaking route using scrap for more than 30 years. At its electric steel sites, the company produces crude steel with around 80% lower CO₂ emissions than the conventional blast furnace route. By recycling steel scrap as its principal input material, GMH supports material circularity and resource efficiency. The company provides steel solutions for customers in the automotive, mechanical engineering, railway, energy, logistics, aerospace, agriculture and construction machinery sectors.
GMH Gruppe aims to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂ emissions from steel production to zero by 2039.
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