FLSmidth
FLSmidth & Co. A/S is a Danish multinational engineering company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. With almost 11,700 employees worldwide,[3][2] it provides global cement and mineral industries with factories, machinery, services and know-how. FLSmidth is listed on NASDAQ OMX Nordic Copenhagen (the former Copenhagen Stock Exchange) in the C20 index and has offices in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Type | Publicly traded Aktieselskab |
---|---|
Nasdaq Copenhagen: FLS | |
Industry | Construction, engineering |
Founded | 1882 |
Founder | Frederik Læssøe Smidth |
Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark |
Key people | Thomas Schulz (Group CEO), Vagn Sørensen (Chairman) |
Products | Machinery, systems and services for the cement and mineral industries |
Revenue | DKK 18.000 billion (end 2017)[1] |
DKK 74 million (end 2017)[1] | |
Total assets | DKK 2.364 billion (end 2017)[1] |
Total equity | DKK 8.038 billion (end 2017)[1] |
Number of employees | 12,969 (end 2017)[2] |
Website | www.flsmidth.com |
History
FLSmidth and Co. A/S was founded in Copenhagen on 2 January 1882 by Frederik Læssøe Smidth (da). It was initially a consultancy business whose main focus was to purchase machinery and build small machines for local craftsmen. Within a few years the firm, called “Technical Bureau” at the time, specialised in machinery for the brick and tile industry. In 1887 two engineers, Poul Larsen and Alexander Foss, were made partners and the company name was changed to F.L.Smidth & Co. In 1887, the first FLSmidth cement plant was built near Limhamn in Sweden. The company grew and in 1890 the first international office opened in London. Offices in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Peking (Beijing) and other major cities followed. In 1957, F.L.Smidth machinery accounted for 40 percent of all cement production in the world.
Over the years, the company has expanded with non-core activities and in 1989 the entire FLSmidth Group consisted of some 125 companies within areas such as cement engineering, plastic, aerospace and cement building materials. Throughout the 1990s, product companies such as Pfister, Ventomatic and MAAG Gear were acquired.[4]
In 1990, the Group acquired Fuller Company and established the F.L.Smidth-Fuller Engineering Group. Two minerals processing divisions, Fuller Mineral Processing and FLSmidth Mineral Processing, were set up in FLSmidth and Fuller. In 1997, the company was named FFE Minerals after merging the two separate minerals divisions into one single company.
FLS Miljø developed a process with Supercritical carbon dioxide to dissolve and carry organic wood preservative into timber, an alternative to polluting Chromated copper arsenate (CCA).[5][6]
As FLS Miljø was closed in 2004,[7] some of the employees later contributed to a similar process to remove cork tainting 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA) from wine corks.[8][9][10][11]
In the beginning of the 21st century the Group began to continuously sell off non-core activities.[12]
On 2 April 2007, FFE Minerals acquired Rahco International, Inc.[13] In May 2007, FFE Minerals was renamed FLSmidth Minerals and on 10 August 2007, FLSmidth acquired GL&V Process,[14] the largest acquisition the company has ever made enabling it to gain a strong foothold in the global copper industry.
In May and October 2008, FLSmidth acquired Pneumapress Inc.[15] and CEntry, an engineering consultancy based in Utah.[16]
In 2009, FLSmidth acquired Conveyor Engineering Inc.[17] and EEL India Limited[18] on 1 March 2009 and 28 July 2009 respectively. These acquisitions gave FLSmidth a know-how in design and supply of major bulk material handling systems for cement, mining, heavy industrial facilities and bagging equipment worldwide.
The year 2011 saw FLSmidth acquiring some major minerals and cement companies like ESSA Australia Limited on 17 February 2011,[19] Phillips Kiln Service Ltd on 18 August 2011[20] and Transweigh India Ltd on 20 October 2011.[21]
On 3 July 2012, FLSmidth completed the acquisition of the Australian engineering and equipment supply company Ludowici Limited,[22] a provider of coal centrifuges, vibrating screens and complementary wear resistant products and services for the minerals industries.
In 2012, FLSmidth acquired Decanter Machine, Inc., a United States-based manufacturer and supplier of centrifugal technology to the global minerals industries (August),[23] TEUTRINE GmbH Industrie-Technik, a German company specialised in mobile solutions for repairs, refurbishments and installation services (September)[24] and Australian service companies MIE Enterprises Pty Ltd. and Mayer Bulk Pty Ltd. that provide construction, commissioning, maintenance and repair services.[25]
In line with its heightened focus on core businesses areas such as cement and minerals, FLSmidth divested the capital sales of lime kilns and recausticizing equipment for use in white liquor plants in the pulp and paper industry. The business was divested to Metso Paper Sweden AB [26] by means of a license agreement. The licence was perpetual and exclusive in relation to FLSmidth.
Acquisition history
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Core business and Group strategy
Over the past decade FLSmidth has developed from a diversified conglomerate into a specialised and focused business group supported by two business segments, Cement and Minerals.
Anticipating a huge growth in Minerals, FLSmidth launched its new Group Strategy in February 2012 which was designed to support and grow its potential.
As a consequence of the new Group Strategy, FLSmidth was now structured in four divisions: Customer Services, Material Handling, Mineral Processing and Cement.
However, following a strategy health-check, FLSmidth decided to change its organisational structure. As of 1 January 2015, FLSmidth stands organised in four divisions - two project divisions, a product division and a service division. The two former divisions Material Handling and Mineral Processing were merged into one Minerals division. Cement and Customer Services will be maintained as separate divisions. A new Product Companies division was created to foster growth of FLSmidth's product brands. This new division will serve FLSmidth's six key industries, the Minerals and Cement divisions as well as adjacent industries.
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Criticism
FLSmidth has faced criticism for its role in the Teghut mine in Armenia. FLSmidth designed the mine, supplied all the equipment, supervised the construction[27] and has an advisory function.[28][29] The construction and operation of the mine have resulted in human rights violations and destruction of the environment.[30] Later it has emerged that FLSmidth didn't fulfil its promise to help solve the problems - a violation of its corporate social responsibility policy.[31]
References
- "Annual Report 2017" (PDF). FLSmidth. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- "Annual Report for FLSmidth & Co. A/S 1 January - 31 December 2015" (Press release). Globenewswire Publication. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- "FLSmidth Annual Report 2017" (PDF). FLSmidth. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- "FLSmidth acquisition history". FLSmidth. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- Steen Brummerstedt Iversen, Tommy Larsen, Ole Henriksen and Karsten Felsvang. "Pe1.doc - Pe1.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2019-03-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- "NEPD-1641-654_Utvendig-kledning-av-Superwood_en_1.pdf" (PDF). 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- "Danish FLS Industries Executive Vice President To Resign". International Cement Review. 2003-12-22. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- Bjørn Godske (2004-02-27). "Dansk knowhow renser spanske korkpropper". Ingeniøren. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- Guy Lumia & Jean-Marie Aracil (January 2006). "Supercritical fluids – An innovation for cork closures! – Part 2 of 2". Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- Dr. Eduard Lack, H. Seidlitz, Moaad Bakali, Rudolf Zobel. "CO42 Lack Manuskript.doc - CO2 on Cork.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-03-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Closures supercritical CO2 process removing TCA on YouTube
- Niels Brauer (2005-11-06). "En historie om storhed og fald RUTSJETUR: Bogen "FLSmidth - et eventyr i cement" gør grundigt rede for, hvordan intern splid og magtkampe sendte dansk industris flagskib i knæ". Nordjyske Stiftstidende. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- "FLSmidth buys U.S. materials handling business". Reuters. 2007-03-30. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth s acquisition of GL&V Process is now closed". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). FLSmidth & Co A/S. 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth acquires world leading pressure filter technology". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). FLSmidth & Co A/S. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth To Acquire Assets Of American Engineering Company CEntry". FLSmidth (Press release).
- "FLSmidth acquires Conveyor Engineering". Reuters. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLS acquires Indian cement handling company". borsen.dk (in Danish). 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth acquires Essa". MINING.COM. 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth Buys US Kiln Services Supplier Phillips Kiln". ADVFN. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth to acquire Transweigh India Limited". MINING.COM. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth acquisition of Australian Ludowici now closed". July 3, 2012.
- "FLSmidth to acquire Decanter Machine, Inc". World Cement. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth Acquires TEUTRINE GmbH". www.ceramicindustry.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "FLSmidth Signs Agreement with MIE Enterprises and Mayer Bulk". Mining Technology | Mining News and Views Updated Daily. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- "Metso strengthens its position as a leading supplier to the pulp industry by obtaining a license to FLSmidth Lime Kiln and Recausticizing Technology". manufacturing-journal.net.
- "Danske virksomheder truer mennesker og miljø i Armenien. 1. del | Eftertryk" (in Danish). 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- "FLSmidths forsøg på at grønvaske armensk mine smuldrer | Eftertryk" (in Danish). 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- FLSmidth Sustainability report 2017, page 13 og 14: https://flsmidth-prod-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/misc-files-excl-brochures/company-section/sustainability/sustainability-reports/sustainability-report-2017.pdf?rev=59ef7df1-bd9d-4d45-b5a0-571a1452a4f6
- https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/environmental-destruction-armenia-fight-transparency-denmark/
- https://www.eftertrykket.dk/2020/07/03/flsmidths-forsoeg-paa-at-groenvaske-armensk-mine-smuldrer/