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96-776: Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer , headquartered in Düsseldorf , Germany. The Group was promoted to the DAX , Germany's leading share index, in March 2023. It is the fifth largest arms manufacturer in Europe, and produces a variety of armored fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers , in both wheeled and tracked versions. Its name is derived from the German-language words Rhein and Metall , translating to "Rhinemetal" when combined. In April 1889,

192-683: A 51 per cent stake in the company and MAN 49 per cent. Between 2010 and 2011, Rheinmetall acquired the German activities of Verseidag Ballistic Protection. In February 2011, Rheinmetall increased its stake in ADS Gesellschaft für aktive Schutzsysteme. In July 2011, Rheinmetall reviewed the sustainability of the company's two-pillar strategy, with the two divisions Automotive Technology and Defence. Both divisions were to be enabled to further develop their competitive positions with greater flexibility. In this context, Rheinmetall examined in particular

288-590: A better solution. Romanian assets, almost all of the country's coal and steel capacity, were acquired through a series of friendly arrangements and placed under joint German-Romanian control. Particular care was given to the largest Romanian shipyard at Galați . In 1942, the Romanian shipyard signed an agreement for "assistance in technical matters" with the Reichswerke. The shipyard's capital increased eleven-fold, from 50 to 550 million lei . That same year,

384-430: A car, and prefer other modes of transport. Other potentially powerful automotive markets are Iran and Indonesia . Emerging automobile markets already buy more cars than established markets. According to a J.D. Power study, emerging markets accounted for 51 percent of the global light-vehicle sales in 2010. The study, performed in 2010 expected this trend to accelerate. However, more recent reports (2012) confirmed

480-655: A chain of mergers, diversifying into military industries with the absorption of Rheinmetall . Göring himself supervised the Reichswerke but did not own it in any sense and did not make personal profit from it directly, although at times he withdrew cash for personal expenses. After the Anschluss , the Reichswerke absorbed Austrian heavy industries, including those owned by private German investors. The cluster of steel mills and supporting companies in Linz became its most important asset. Nazi leadership regarded captured assets as

576-577: A fundamental reorganisation, in the form of mergers and new acquisitions. In 1998, the first unit of the new gun artillery system Panzerhaubitze 2000 , developed by Rheinmetall and MaK Systemgesellschaft, was handed over to the Bundeswehr, and the Rhino minesweeper from MaK Systemgesellschaft was deployed in the former Yugoslavia. Rheinmetall took over the defence technology of BUCK System GmbH and formed BUCK Neue Technologien. In 1999, Rheinmetall acquired

672-688: A further increase of state control over heavy industries and industrialization of the eastern territories at the expense of the Ruhr. The Reichswerke clearly favored industrial development in Central Europe, rather than Germany itself, in part because it was out of reach of Allied bombers. By 1943–1944 half of the Reichswerke iron and steel were produced in the occupied territories, the other half in Germany (including annexed Austria). The Soviet coal and steel industry captured in 1941–1942 became

768-551: A group of major car manufacturers including GM , Ford , Volvo , BYD Auto , Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz committed to "work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets". Major car manufacturing nations like the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Volkswagen , Toyota , Peugeot , Honda , Nissan and Hyundai , did not pledge. The global automotive industry

864-611: A large scale by placed orders. In June 2022, Rheinmetall presented its latest KF51 Panther main battle tank at the Eurosatory arms fair. In November 2022, Rheinmetall announced the purchase of Spanish ammunition manufacturer Expal, which was completed in August 2023 for 1.2 billion euros. Rheinmetall expected an increase in demand for ammunition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and, in this context, an improvement in

960-638: A majority stake in Oerlikon Contraves, a supplier of combined cannon and guided missile systems for air defence, and Eurometaal Holding N.V., a manufacturer of medium calibre artillery. In late 1999, Rheinmetall took over the companies KUKA Wehrtechnik and Henschel Wehrtechnik, and later combined the two with MaK Systemgesellschaft, to form the new company, Rheinmetall Landsysteme. In 2000, Rheinmetall's Executive Board decided to concentrate on defence technology, automotive technology and electronics. Subsequently, it sold off multiple subsidiaries. In 2004,

1056-654: A self-sufficient steel industry, and against the steel barons. His radical calls improved his own political weight and silenced the opposition. Göring's aim of bringing the economy in line with Adolf Hitler 's strategic plans was fully supported by the Nazi press. The danger of relying on ore imports was proven by the strikes and anti-Nazi sentiment in Sweden and by the success of the Popular Front in France . In July 1937

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1152-486: A share of the production of Boxer tanks, which were developed for the Bundeswehr and the Dutch army. In May 2010, Rheinmetall and MAN founded the joint company Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV). This created a full-range supplier in the market for wheeled military vehicles, covering the complete range of protected and unprotected transport, command and functional vehicles for international armed forces. Rheinmetall holds

1248-492: A stationary car, to a conveyor belt system where the car passed through multiple stations of more specialized engineers. Starting in the 1960s, robotic equipment was introduced to the process, and most cars are now mainly assembled by automated machinery. For many decades, the United States led the world in total automobile production, with the U.S. Big Three General Motors , Ford Motor Company , and Chrysler being

1344-455: A tank destroyer cannon, a standard armoured turret and a tank howitzer. In 1965, the development of 120-millimetre smoothbore technology began under the leadership of Raimund Germershausen. Parallel to the increasing sales success and organic growth, Rheinmetall acquired around a dozen smaller mechanical engineering companies between 1958 and 1973, primarily those active in the fields of packaging and forming technology and electronics. 1974/75 saw

1440-500: A top producer 1950s : United Kingdom, Germany, and France restarted production. 1960s : Japan started production and increased volume through the 1980s. United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom produced about 80% of motor vehicles through the 1980s. 1990s : South Korea became a volume producer. In 2004, Korea became No. 5 passing France. 2000s : China increased its production drastically, and became

1536-456: A year, after reaching 29 million for the first time in 2017 and 28 million the year before. From 1970 (140 models) over 1998 (260 models) to 2012 (684 models), the number of automobile models in the U.S. has grown exponentially. Safety is a state that implies being protected from any risk, danger, damage, or cause of injury. In the automotive industry, safety means that users, operators, or manufacturers do not face any risk or danger coming from

1632-643: Is a major consumer of water. Some estimates surpass 180,000 L (39,000 imp gal) of water per car manufactured, depending on whether tyre production is included. Production processes that use a significant volume of water include surface treatment, painting, coating, washing, cooling, air-conditioning, and boilers, not counting component manufacturing. Paintshop operations consume especially large amounts of water because equipment running on water-based products must also be cleaned with water. In 2022, Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg ran into legal challenges due to droughts and falling groundwater levels in

1728-463: Is a primary mode of transportation for many developed economies. The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicted that, by 2014, one-third of world demand would be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Meanwhile, in developed countries, the automotive industry has slowed. It is also expected that this trend will continue, especially as the younger generations of people (in highly urbanized countries) no longer want to own

1824-507: Is considered one of the best practice frameworks for achieving automotive functional safety . In case of safety issues, danger, product defect , or faulty procedure during the manufacturing of the motor vehicle, the maker can request to return either a batch or the entire production run. This procedure is called product recall . Product recalls happen in every industry and can be production-related or stem from raw materials. Product and operation tests and inspections at different stages of

1920-469: Is responsible for the maintenance of selected vehicles and weapon systems of the German Army. The Public Security business unit was established in response to the changing threat situation, and to offer systems for defence against threats to internal security and civil protection. In March 2008, Rheinmetall acquired the armour manufacturer Stork PWV from the Dutch conglomerate Stork, thereby taking over

2016-530: The CBI , for bribing defence officials for securing multi billion dollar weapons contracts of the Indian military establishment. In 2014, RAD Chairman Bodo Garbe and General Manager Gerhard Hoy were issued summons of the Indian courts. Subsequently a red-corner notice was issued for their detention through Interpol . In 2016, the case was under trial in Indian courts. Automotive The word automotive comes from

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2112-915: The First Nationalization Law enacted by the Austrian parliament on 26 July 1946. The ore mines in Erzberg and the steel mills in Linz, destroyed by allied air raids, were reorganized into the state-owned VÖEST (now part of Voestalpine ). Reconstruction of these assets became a key priority of the Marshall Plan in Austria. Nationalization was supported by the US Department of State and opposed by US Army generals, who called for privatization. Steyr-Daimler-Puch , once owned by

2208-499: The Greek autos (self), and Latin motivus (of motion ), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle. This term, as proposed by Elmer Sperry (1860–1930), first came into use to describe automobiles in 1898. The automotive industry began in the 1860s with hundreds of manufacturers pioneering the horseless carriage . Early car manufacturing involved manual assembly by a human worker. The process evolved from engineers working on

2304-609: The Luftwaffe , also established close ties between the Reichswerke and the oil and aircraft industries. Relationships between the state and steel barons continued to deteriorate, and Göring used the same pattern of intimidation to extort other Austrian and later Czech assets from their past owners. The Reichswerke absorbed 50 to 60 per cent of Czech heavy industry, and a slightly lesser share in Austria. Takeover mechanisms ranged from bona fide stock purchase to control by proxy through dependent local banks to outright confiscation, as

2400-743: The Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the TPz Fuchs Armored Personnel Carrier in Ukraine. Rheinmetall intends to have the first units come off the production line sometime in 2024. An additional 200,000 artillery shells are to be manufactured at a new plant in Unterlüß from 2025. US intelligence services claim to have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate Armin Papperger (CEO and chairman of

2496-574: The Ministry of Armaments ; the mining and steel core of the Reichswerke continued operation under Göring's supervision until the end of the war, albeit at a loss. The conglomerate was dismembered by the Allies in 1944–1945, but the Salzgitter plant continued operations as Reichswerke until 1953. The Reichswerke logo, which resembled Göring's coat of arms , remained in use by Peine+Salzgitter until

2592-467: The PSA Group had been in the top 8 1999 to 2012, and 2007 to 2012 one of the eight largest along with the seven largest as of 2017) and the five largest in the top 5 positions since 2007, according to OICA, which, however, stopped publishing statistics of motor vehicle production by manufacturer after 2017. All ten remained as the ten largest automakers by sales until the merger between Fiat-Chrysler and

2688-681: The Romanian Navy submarines Marsuinul and Rechinul , laid down in 1938, were finally completed. Another notable achievement of that year was the launching of Romania's first locally-built tanker, SRT-128 . In 1943, four modified M-class minesweepers were built in Romania from German materials. This German-Romanian collaboration also benefited the Kriegsmarine , as the Romanian shipyard assembled six coastal U-boats between 1942 and 1943. The Romanian shipyard also took part in

2784-514: The Second World War and created a Nazi-controlled military complex that was independent of private interests. By the end of 1941 the Reichswerke became the largest company in Europe and probably in the whole world, with a capital of 2.4 billion  ℛ︁ℳ︁ and about half a million workers. In 1942 the Reichswerke's inefficient corporate structure was reduced in size. Its weapons and munitions assets were integrated into

2880-485: The value chain are made to avoid these product recalls by ensuring end-user security and safety and compliance with the automotive industry requirements. However, the automotive industry is still particularly concerned about product recalls, which cause considerable financial consequences. In 2007, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, consuming over 980 billion litres (980,000,000 m ) of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The automobile

2976-762: The GDR, state-owned spinoffs of Rheinmetall manufactured office machines, moped engines, cameras, and later printers and personal computers. Production was completely banned until 1950. Rheinmetall-Borsig was then transformed into a pure holding company owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. Two independent subsidiaries were founded. Borsig in Berlin produced steam boilers and refrigeration systems. Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf built typewriters, shock absorbers, lifts, tanning machines and transport and loading equipment. At

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3072-666: The Hörder Bergwerks- und Hütten-Verein founded the Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft under General Director Josef Massenez, to produce ammunition for the German Empire. The Thuringian engineer Heinrich Ehrhardt (1840-1928) oversaw the construction of the Rheinmetall plant in Düsseldorf and managed it until 1920. He made many of his patents and inventions available to

3168-572: The Netherlands and other countries. It produced its first pig iron in October 1939 and its first steel in August 1940. A large metalworking plant, Stahlwerke Braunschweig, was built nearby, starting in March 1940; eventually it became one of the largest plants in the country, employing ten thousand workers. The majority of Salzgitter area staff, 47,000 workers, were non-Germans. In five years, 1937 to 1942, population increased fivefold. Housing

3264-511: The OFB and all other Indian defence companies, as well as being blacklisted from participating in any Indian defence contract, for a period of 10 years. RAD claimed that the charges against it are without merit. In 2012, Rheinmetall Air Defence was implicated in a corruption case in India, along with arms dealer Abhishek Verma and his wife Anca Verma , as lodged by the anti-corruption agency of India,

3360-657: The PSA Group in early 2021 ; only Renault was degraded to 11th place, in 2022, when being surpassed by both BMW (which became the 10th largest in 2021) and Chang'an . These were the twenty largest manufacturers by production volume in 2012 and 2013, or the 21 largest in 2011 (before the Fiat-Chrysler merger ), of which the fourteen largest as of 2011 were in the top 14 in 2010, 2008 and 2007 (but not 2009, when Changan and Mazda temporarily degraded Chrysler to 16th place). The eighteen largest as of 2013 have remained in

3456-784: The Reichswerke and controlled by the US Army, became a pilot model for the private modernization advocated by Mark W. Clark . Eventually the Department of State prevailed and the Austrians were allowed to nationalize the plants at will. The Reichswerke assets in the Soviet zone of occupation were taken over by the Administration for Soviet Property in Austria and returned to Austria for a ransom in 1955. The Salzgitter furnaces were shut down and earmarked for dismantling, devastating

3552-611: The Reichswerke to coal, iron, and steel production. The Reichswerke passed control over its weapons and munitions plants to Organisation Todt and its successor, the Ministry of Armaments . Still, the organization operated at a loss; in fact, Block A posted losses in every year of its existence, from 1939 to 1945. The French operations fared even worse. The assets of the Reichswerke acquired by conquest were recaptured by Allied troops between 1943–1945 - these included assets of ARBED (Luxembourg) and Skoda Works . The Reichswerke assets in allied-occupied Austria were nationalized by

3648-454: The Reichswerke would begin mining and processing Salzgitter ores and that the government would take over privately held ore deposits in exchange for minority shares in the new enterprises. Paul Pleiger became the managing director. Critics argued that the Salzgitter project would consume more steel than it could produce in three years. The Ruhr attempted a coordinated response, but wire-tapping and surveillance gave Göring advance knowledge of

3744-571: The Reichswerke's ammunition plants from 1942 (see List of subcamps of Neuengamme , Celler Hasenjagd ). Salzgitter was the target of Allied bombings several times but damage to the plant was insignificant. Its blast furnaces operated until captured by the Americans in April 1945. After the removal of Schacht in November 1937, the Reichswerke rapidly grew while privately held steel mills of

3840-402: The Reichswerke's most challenging task. Hitler tasked the Reichswerke with harvesting the abandoned plants as soon as possible. Pleiger compelled the old steel barons of the Ruhr to send in their managing teams and literally "adopt" the Soviet assets. Reluctant steel barons objected but had to comply with Hitler's explicit order. Radical Nazis objected, for different reasons, but could not offer

3936-756: The Ruhr were deprived of capital (their capacity remained at 16 million tons p.a. until the outbreak of the Second World War ). In February 1938 Göring pumped up the Reichswerke capital from 5 to 400 million  ℛ︁ℳ︁ , starting a chain of mergers. In April the Reichswerke moved into weapons production by absorbing Rheinmetall . In a few following months the Reichswerke consolidated most of Austrian heavy industries, from extraction of ore to production of advanced weapons. Göring turned his eyes to Austrian steel in 1937. The Anschluss of March 1938 gave him practically unlimited access to Austrian resources. The Reichswerke's activities in Austria demonstrated that Göring regarded captured assets as state property and

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4032-563: The Second World War, numerous forced labourers worked in the Rheinmetall factories. In the Unterlüß plant alone, around 5,000 foreign forced labourers and prisoners of war, approximately 2,500 Poles, 1,000 from the USSR, 500 Yugoslavs, 1,000 from other countries, were liberated by British troops at the end of the war. Between 1944 and 1945, Rheinmetall-Borsig took over the sponsorship of the nursery for foreign children in Unterlüß, which

4128-925: The Security Technology division and acquiring a majority stake in Preh-Werke to expand the Automotive Technology division. In 1995, Rheinmetall expanded its expertise in medium-calibre automatic cannon systems, by acquiring a majority stake in Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH and increasing Pierburg's involvement in the USA. In the same year, Rheinmetall acquired a stake in STN Atlas Elektronik in order to strengthen its expertise in defence electronics. In 1997, Rheinmetall underwent

4224-423: The U.S. was overtaken by Japan and then became a world leader again in 1994. Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in production during 2006 and 2007, and in 2008 also China , which in 2009 took the top spot (from Japan) with 13.8 million units, although the U.S. surpassed Japan in 2011, to become the second-largest automobile industry. In 2023, China had for the first time in history more than 30 million produced vehicles

4320-652: The armaments production came to a standstill and Rheinmetall had to lay off employees. The provisions of the Treaty of Versailles made it necessary to switch to civilian products. Rheinmetall therefore produced locomotives, railway carriages, agricultural machinery and steam ploughs in the Rhineland. The factory in Sömmerda produced precision mechanical devices such as typewriters and calculating machines. Steel production in Rath

4416-667: The assembly of S-boats . By the end of 1941 the Reichswerke became the largest company in Europe. The conglomerate experienced a series of reorganizations; in January 1941 its assets were arranged in three divisions: A fourth division was added later for captured Soviet assets – Kryvbas and Donets Basin plants and mines in Ukraine , with lesser interests in Belarus , Latvia and central Russia. The Reichswerke amassed too many plants to run them effectively. Instead of pinpointing

4512-478: The changed global political situation, Rheinmetall adapted its corporate strategy by diversifying into civilian industrial products. By acquiring a 100 per cent stake in MaK System Gesellschaft, part of Friedrich Krupp AG, between 1990 and 1992, Rheinmetall expanded its expertise in the field of new systems for land forces and special vehicles. For example, for use in environmental protection. In

4608-492: The company and contributed significantly to the technical development of many Rheinmetall products. In December 1889, the newly founded factory in Düsseldorf-Derendorf on Ulmenstraße began production. The company expanded very quickly in the following years, partly due to government orders and partly because patents were obtained for two processes for manufacturing seamless tubes in 1891 and 1892. In order to meet

4704-426: The company came under complete state control and was integrated into the planned war preparations. In the last two years of the war, the production facilities were severely damaged or destroyed by Allied air raids. After a heavy air raid on the factories in Düsseldorf, numerous production areas were relocated east to areas of the later GDR , such as Apolda and present-day Poland, such as Guben and Breslau . During

4800-649: The executive board). With its Vehicle Systems divisions, Europe and International, Rheinmetall is primarily active in the field of wheeled and tracked military vehicles. The Weapon and Ammunition division is active in weapon systems and ammunition. The Electronic Solutions division is concerned with the digitalisation of armed forces, infantry equipment, air defence and simulation. The Sensors and Actuators division provides equipment for industrial applications and e-mobility, as well as components and control systems for reducing emissions. The Materials and Trade division supplies plain bearings and structural components and operates

4896-470: The factory in Düsseldorf was expanded. At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, Rheinmetall was one of the largest armaments manufacturers in the German Empire, and employed almost 8,000 people. By the end of the war, the workforce had increased to almost 48,000 workers and employees, including around 9,000 women.The built-up area at the main plant quadrupled during this time. After the war,

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4992-402: The field of unmanned aerial systems and cargo loading systems in a joint venture. Cassidian holds 51 percent and Rheinmetall 49 percent of the shares in the newly founded Rheinmetall Airborne Systems GmbH. In May 2012, the automotive sector streamlined its organizational structure. KSPG's previous six business units were bundled into three divisions: Hardparts, Mechatronics and Motorservice. In

5088-525: The fifth largest in Europe. Rheinmetall has been listed in the German DAX share index since 20 March 2023. The key trends for Rheinmetall AG are, as of each financial year: In 2023, 66 % of Rheinmetall AG shares were held by institutional investors, 48 % of which came from North America, 21 % from Europe and 3 % from the rest of the world. 23 % of Rheinmetall's shares were owned by private shareholders. In 2023, other investors held

5184-484: The first acquisitions of foreign companies in Portugal, Great Britain and the Netherlands. In 1978, production of the 155 mm FH70 field howitzer began. In October 1979, the first Leopard 2 main battle tank was delivered to the Bundeswehr. It was equipped with the 120-millimetre smoothbore gun developed by Rheinmetall. In the following years, the company's civilian division was reorganised and strengthened in 1981 with

5280-522: The focus on the defence technology divisions was largely completed . In 2003, Rheinmetall Landsysteme delivered the first new Marder 1A5 mine-protected infantry fighting vehicle . To develop the new Puma infantry fighting vehicle for the Bundeswehr, Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann set up the joint venture PSM GmbH, in which both companies hold a 50 per cent stake. In the Defence Technology division, Rheinmetall W&M GmbH

5376-417: The global aftermarket business. In fiscal year 2022 (2021), Rheinmetall generated sales of €6.410 billion (€5.658 billion). It had 25,486 (23,945) employees (FTE) and a reported EBIT of €731 million (€608 million). In the 2020 financial year (2019) Rheinmetall had €5.405 (6.255) billion in sales, with 23,268 (23,780) employees (FTE) worldwide. In 2022, Rheinmetall was the largest defence company in Germany, and

5472-576: The increased demand for steel resulting from the expansion of the main plant, Metallwerk Ehrhardt & Heye AG in Düsseldorf-Rath was acquired in 1892 and incorporated into the company in 1896. In 1896, Rheinmetall presented the world's first rapid-fire gun suitable for field service, with variable recoil and combined barrel recoil and a forward feed device. It was based on patents by the engineer Konrad Haußner. The Prussian artillery testing commission rejected it, either misjudging or not realising

5568-488: The list below) currently possess the capability to design original production automobiles from the ground up, and 17 countries (listed below) have at least one million produced vehicles a year (as of 2023). These were the ten largest manufacturers by production volume as of 2017, of which the eight largest were in the top 8 positions since Fiat's 2013 acquisition of the Chrysler Corporation (although

5664-539: The manufacture of steam ploughs. In 1925, the state holding company VIAG of the German Reich bought a majority stake in Rheinmetall, as part of a capital increase. In April 1933, Rheinmetall bought the locomotive manufacturer Borsig, which was about to be liquidated, and thus came into possession of a large factory in Berlin-Tegel. This led to Rheinmetall being renamed Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in 1936. As part of

5760-509: The middle of the 1980s. In 1935–1936 German steel industry, concentrated in the Ruhr area, recovered from the Great Depression and reached nearly full utilization of its mills. It was dominated by privately held Vereinigte Stahlwerke (VS), Krupp , Gutehoffnungshütte and Mannesmann . Three quarters of iron ore processed in Germany was imported; domestic ore reserves in the Salzgitter area were deemed to be of too poor quality to be economical. Demand for iron and steel rose in line with

5856-465: The most promising assets, it spread the available resources over everything it had. Its managers did not feel the pressure of competition that shaped the management of private companies. Richard Overy noted that Göring's obsession with long-term mega-projects not only drained the economy, but was in stark contrast with the ideology of blitzkrieg . Inability to control the huge conglomerate became evident in 1942, and Pleiger persuaded Göring to limit

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5952-401: The motor vehicle or its spare parts. Safety for the automobiles themselves implies that there is no risk of damage. Safety in the automotive industry is particularly important and therefore highly regulated. Automobiles and other motor vehicles have to comply with a certain number of regulations, whether local or international, in order to be accepted on the market. The standard ISO 26262 ,

6048-438: The new technology removed the barriers for Göring's plans. In December 1936 Göring announced that domestic ore, iron and steel program had become a national priority and that he would not tolerate hesitation or obstruction by private owners of the resources. Private capital raised their objections against rapid growth, and Göring settled to take ore mining under state control. Throughout the first half of 1937 Göring rallied for

6144-465: The opposite; namely that the automotive industry was slowing down even in BRIC countries. In the United States, vehicle sales peaked in 2000, at 17.8 million units. In July 2021, the European Commission released its " Fit for 55 " legislation package, which contains important guidelines for the future of the automotive industry; all new cars on the European market must be zero-emission vehicles from 2035. The governments of 24 developed countries and

6240-459: The outbreak of the war, the Reichswerke abandoned peacetime formalities and simply took over all "German" assets it found attractive. It declared itself "a trustee for the German state" for the duration of the war, a white knight saving occupied countries from " colonialism " of big business. Settlements and compensations, when recognized, were delayed until the end of the war. But the Reichswerke's own post-war plans, developed in 1942, called for

6336-444: The possibilities. After the successful introduction of recoil-operated guns by France (Canon de 75 mle 1897), this attitude changed and the development became a great economic success for Rheinmetall. In 1901, on the initiative of Heinrich Ehrhardt, Rheinmetall took over the bankrupt Munitions- und Waffenfabrik AG in Sömmerda , expanding its product range. In the following years, Rheinmetall also grew due to orders from abroad. In 1906,

6432-472: The possibility of an IPO for Kolbenschmidt Pierburg (KSPG), which represents the automotive sector of the Rheinmetall Group; this possibility ended in 2012. That year, KSPG took over the plain bearing activities of Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd (KOEL) in Pune, India. KOEL is, among other things, the largest plain bearing manufacturer in India, and is primarily focussed on the domestic market there. In January 2012, Rheinmetall and Cassidian combined their activities in

6528-566: The private business refused for fear of overproduction. The Reichswerke purchased a non-controlling share in Alpine and then wrestled complete control over the company for six months. Regulatory pressure threatened to devalue Alpine, and in March 1939 VS stepped aside. Alpine's ore resources were vital for Göring's second great project – the new vertically integrated cluster of steel mills in Linz which also included Eisenwerke Oberdonau and numerous construction and shipping companies. Göring, in his functions of President of Prussia and Chief of

6624-479: The property of the state and were not willing to share the spoils with German businesses. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia , the Reichswerke absorbed between 50 and 60 per cent of Czech heavy industries. The pattern was repeated in occupied Poland , France and the Soviet Union . The Reichswerke operated captured assets as far from its base as Liepāja in Latvia and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine . It provided one-eighth of German steel output during

6720-462: The purchasing of multiple companies. In 1999, Rheinmetall sold off its packaging technology division to IWKA AG. In 1986, the Automotive Technology division was established through the acquisition of carburettor manufacturer Pierburg GmbH. Together with Diehl Munitionssysteme, Rheinmetall founded the Gesellschaft für Intelligente Wirksysteme (GIWS). GIWS specialised in intelligent ammunition, projectiles and other defence technology systems. In 1989, due to

6816-474: The rearmament of the Wehrmacht, Rheinmetall increasingly developed and produced weapons and ammunition on behalf of the Reich Ministry of War from the mid-1930s onward. The products ranged from machine guns and cannons, anti-tank guns, mine launchers and field guns to anti-aircraft guns and railway guns. In 1937, the subsidiary Alkett (Altmärkische Kettenwerke) was founded in Berlin for the development and construction of armoured tracked vehicles. From 1937 onward, it

6912-780: The region. Brandenburg's Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said that while water supply was sufficient during the first stage, more would be needed once Tesla expands the site. The factory would nearly double the water consumption in the Gruenheide area, with 1.4 million cubic meters being contracted from local authorities per year — enough for a city of around 40,000 people. Steinbach said that the authorities would like to drill for more water there and outsource any additional supply if necessary. 1960s : Post-war increase 1970s : Oil crisis and tighter safety and emission regulation 1990s : Production started in NICs . 2000s : Rise of China as

7008-491: The remaining 11%. The largest shareholders in 2023 were: In 2012, Rheinmetall Air Defence (RAD), a division of Rheinmetall, was one of six companies that were blacklisted by India 's Ministry of Defence for their involvement in a bribery scandal. The companies were accused of bribing the Director General of Ordnance Factories Board (OFB), Sudipta Ghosh. RAD and the other firms were barred from any dealings with

7104-606: The rise in military spending, further increasing dependence on imports. Influential people inside the Nazi Party , including Hitler's economic advisor Wilhelm Keppler , rallied to increase domestic iron ore mining. Iron ore became the principal problem of the Four Year Plan (1936–1940). In October 1936 Göring learned that Stewarts & Lloyds foundry in Corby , United Kingdom, had successfully smelted low-grade ores;

7200-540: The same time, preparations were made for the resumption of armaments production as early as 1950. In 1954, the first enquiries from German and Swiss former armaments manufacturers to the federal government, who wanted to buy the company, can be documented. An upturn came in 1956, when the 56 per cent majority share in Rheinmetall-Borsig, which was owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, was taken over by Röchlingsche Eisen- und Stahlwerke GmbH. In August, Borsig

7296-617: The same year, Rheinmetall delivered the first Wiesel armoured weapon carrier to the German armed forces. The company strengthened its involvement in the field of ammunition production by acquiring a stake in WNC-Nitrochemie GmbH in Aschau am Inn. In 1993, Rheinmetall expanded its civilian product range by acquiring Mauser Waldeck AG to build up the Office Systems division, taking over Heimann Systems GmbH to strengthen

7392-560: The steel barons were stunned by a decree which instituted the Reichswerke , an integrated state company tasked with surpassing the Ruhr in finished steel output. Fearing creation of excessive industrial capacity and cutthroat competition with the state, they cautiously discussed the ways of curbing Göring's ambitions. They joined arms with Göring's adversary, Reichsminister of Economics Hjalmar Schacht , who denied state financing to Göring's project. On 23 July 1937 Göring announced that

7488-416: The steel barons' moves and he preempted their organized action through personal threats and promises. The steel barons escaped an open confrontation with the regime but the trust between Nazi leadership and big business was lost forever. Schacht was compelled to resign in November 1937, his function passed to Göring. The Salzgitter project recruited its workforce from all over Germany, Austria , Italy ,

7584-458: The supply capability of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank. In December 2022, Rheinmetall increased production of ammunition in Germany, in connection with the war in Ukraine and a Swiss veto on ammunition deliveries. Rheinmetall announced that it was building a new production facility for 20-35 millimeter calibre ammunition. In July 2023, the plant started production. In September, it

7680-444: The top 20 as of 2017, except Mitsubishi which fell out of top 20 in 2016, while Geely fell out of the top 20 in 2014 and 2015 but re-entered it in 2016. It is common for automobile manufacturers to hold stakes in other automobile manufacturers. These ownerships can be explored under the detail for the individual companies. Notable current relationships include: Reichswerke Hermann G%C3%B6ring Reichswerke Hermann Göring

7776-624: The town's economy. Dismantling began in earnest in 1947 and ended with the demolition of furnaces and foundries. Salzgitter was flooded with forty four thousand German refugees from the East , unemployment exceeded 30%, and the British considered physically resettling the residents in fear of a communist uprising. Of the thirty seven thousand displaced persons (mostly from Poland) working in Salzgitter in 1945, many refused to be resettled, and deportations continued until mid-1950s. In February 1950

7872-543: The wake of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz coined the term "turning point" during a special session of the Bundestag in February. The associated change in German foreign and security policy included a special fund for the Bundeswehr, amounting to 100 billion euros. Rheinmetall Group CEO Armin Papperger expressed the expectation that Rheinmetall would benefit from this on

7968-524: The war, the number of employees grew to 85,000. By the end of the war, most of the Rheinmetall-Borsig plants had been destroyed. The plants in Düsseldorf, West Berlin and Unterlüß came under the control of the Western Allies, and under trusteeship. All properties in the territories occupied by the Red Army were expropriated. Some factories were completely dismantled by the victorious powers. During

8064-423: The workers stood up against demolition of their plants and eventually won the bloodless standoff with British troops. Dismantling continued for another year, but steelmaking in Salzgitter was saved. The state-owned plant operated under the name Reichswerke until 1953, was renamed AG für Bergbau- und Hüttenbetrieb, and eventually became Salzgitter AG . The Reichswerke logo, which resembled Göring's coat of arms ,

8160-457: The world's largest-producing country in 2009. 2010s : India overtakes Korea, Canada, Spain to become 5th largest automobile producer. 2013 : The share of China (25.4%), India, Korea, Brazil, and Mexico rose to 43%, while the share of United States (12.7%), Japan, Germany, France, and United Kingdom fell to 34%. The OICA counts over 50 countries that assemble, manufacture, or disseminate automobiles. Of those, only 15 countries ( boldfaced in

8256-484: The world's three largest auto manufacturers for a time, and G.M. and Ford remaining the two largest until the mid-2000s. In 1929, before the Great Depression , the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, of which the U.S. automobile enterprises produced more than 90%. At that time, the U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons. After 1945, the U.S. produced around three-quarters of the world's auto production. In 1980,

8352-604: Was also a maternity home for forced labourers and a killing centre for their children. At times, Hungarian Jewish women from a subcamp of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp were deployed in Unterlüß. The Düsseldorf plant was not fully destroyed after the Second World War. Almost the entire workforce was made redundant on 30 June 1945. A small number of employees and workers apparently remained in service, carrying out clean-up work and small-scale civilian production. The Rheinmetall sites were hardly affected by dismantling. In

8448-636: Was an industrial conglomerate in Nazi Germany from 1937 until 1945. It was established to extract and process domestic iron ores from Salzgitter that were deemed uneconomical by the privately held steel mills . The state-owned Reichswerke was seen as a vehicle of hastening growth in ore mining and steel output regardless of private capitalists' plans and opinions, which ran in alignment to Adolf Hitler 's strategic and economic vision. In November 1937, Reichsminister of Aviation Hermann Göring obtained unchecked access to state financing and launched

8544-608: Was announced that Hungary would be the first country to complete development of its version of the KF 51 tank, and locally produce it. In October 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal presented Chancellor Scholz with the certificate of registration of the joint venture Rheinmetall Ukrainien Defence Industry LLC, based in Kyiv, which began operations in the same month. It was announced in December 2023 that Rheinmetall planned to produce

8640-517: Was increased to ensure the production of civilian goods. From 1921, Allied regulations once again permitted the production of weapons systems in small quantities. The plant in Düsseldorf-Derendorf was occupied by Belgian and French troops in 1921, during the Allied occupation of the Rhineland, and from 1923 to 1925 during the occupation of the Ruhr, and was partially devastated. Due to a lack of orders, civilian production had to be discontinued except for

8736-400: Was merged with Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, Buck Neue Technologien GmbH and Pyrotechnik Silberhütte GmbH to form the new Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH. Rheinmetall cooperated with Rafael Ltd. and Diehl Munitionssysteme GmbH for missile manufacturing contracts. In 2005, Rheinmetall Landsysteme became a co-partner in the newly founded Heeresinstandsetzungslogistik (HIL). The company

8832-414: Was not sufficient even for native Germans; foreign workers had to live in seventy makeshift camps. The Gestapo ran an on-site concentration camp for the delinquent workers. Forced labor of prisoners from Nazi concentration camps was not employed until May 1944; the three camps that supplied slaves to Salzgitter contained up to 6,500 prisoners. Another local camp, Drutte, supplied slave workers for

8928-529: Was not willing to share the fortunes with private German businesses – on the contrary, the Reichswerke absorbed Austrian assets that were already owned by German investors and completely eliminated the barons of Ruhr from Austrian industry. Its primary target in Austria, Alpine Montangesellschaft  [ de ] steel company, was 56% owned by German giant VS. Immediately after the Anschluss, Göring advised VS to speed up mining its Austrian ores, and again

9024-680: Was sold to Salzgitter AG. The holding company was renamed Rheinmetall Berlin AG in November. The subsidiary in Düsseldorf was renamed Rheinmetall GmbH in 1957. A new defence technology production programme was launched in 1956, with the establishment of the Bundeswehr. Rheinmetall produced machine guns, automatic cannons and ammunition. The first product was the MG3 . In 1960, the workforce had grown to 3,080 employees. In 1964, production of heavy weapons resumed, such as gun barrels and mounts. Rheinmetall began equipping tanks and artillery pieces. Rheinmetall developed

9120-557: Was the case of the British-owned Rothschild family mill in Vitkovice . Sudetenland , annexed in 1938, brought the first substantial coal reserves. In Germany, the Reichswerke effectively subdued the Ruhr barons by forcing them to supply coal to Salzgitter blast furnaces, commissioned in 1939, at below-market price. "Acquisition" of Polish coal mines allowed the Reichswerke to drop coal prices even lower. After

9216-437: Was the second largest German armaments company. In 1938, the company moved its headquarters from Düsseldorf to Berlin. During the Second World War, armaments production was increased to the maximum and the development of new weapons systems was demanded. State influence through Wehrmacht institutions and the integration of Rheinmetall-Borsig into the state-owned company Reichswerke Hermann Göring increased to such an extent that

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