COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 5051

Metals Service Centers and Offices

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

18companies1872–1967founding years16still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedPirelli S.p.A.FoundedPirelli S.p.A.
1872
FoundedMetallgesellschaft AGFoundedMetallgesellschaft AG
1881
FoundedARBED S.A.FoundedARBED S.A.
1882
FoundedHowmet Corp.FoundedHowmet Corp.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedA.M. Castle & Co.FoundedA.M. Castle & Co.
1904
FoundedAzcon CorporationFoundedAzcon Corporation
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedAllegheny Ludlum CorporationFoundedAllegheny Ludlum 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.FoundedPark Corp.
1948
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBritish Steel plcFoundedBritish Steel plc
1967
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

Pirelli S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1872 · Italy
Pirelli S.p.A.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of specialty steel and other specialty metals in the…
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Allegheny Ludlum Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of specialty steel and other specialty metals in the…
Park Corp. →
Active · founded 1948
Founded by Raymond P.
Park Corp. →
Active · founded 1948
Founded by Raymond P.
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.
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.
Build It Today

Starting a metals service centers and offices company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.