The Kobe Steel Group has established Kobelco Europe (KEU) in early July 2019 to head their European division and promote coordination among their companies in the region. Germany-based KEU is to strengthen the management of Kobe Steel’s operations in Europe and will be responsible for the administration of the Group’s locations in the Middle East as well.
KEU has grown out of Kobelco Machinery Europe (KME), which was launched in 2012 in Munich, Germany, as a base for Kobe Steel’s Machinery Business in Europe, concerning the marketing of nonstandard compressors and tyre and rubber machinery.
KEU is expected to continue KME’s business activities. With its formation, the Kobe Steel Group has thus established headquarters in major regions where it conducts business – the regional headquarters promote business development by providing support to the Group company in that region.
While the Japanese Kobe Steel Group began its expansion into Europe in the 1960s, it has only recently been accelerating business development– subsidiary Kobelco Construction Machinery re-entered Europe and subsequently established a base in the Netherlands in 2013; and KME acquired Sweden’s Quintus Technologies in April 2017, turning the global provider of isostatic presses into a wholly-owned subsidiary.