Altos Hornos de Vizcaya

Altos Hornos de Vizcaya (AHV; span for a "blast of Bizkaia " ) was a Spanish company in the iron and steel industry. It was established on April 29, 1902 from the merger of Altos Hornos de Hierro y Aceros y Fábricas de Bilbao ( " blast furnaces and steel mills of Bilbao " ), La Vizcaya and La Iberia. The three companies were at the turn of the 20th century in an economic boom and producing iron and steel for the whole of Spain and exported to other European countries. At the time of its inception AHV was the largest companies in Spain. Had his seat and his main work there. In the traditionally characterized by the production of iron Basque town of Sestao in Bilbao, close to the local iron ore and the high sea port of Bilbao

AHV produced initially mainly on the basis of charcoal, but soon replaced it by coke imported from England, who had a higher calorific value. The connection of the iron ore exports to the Koksimport promoted the role of Bilbao and commercial metropolis and the emergence of new shipyards at the mouth of the Nervión ( Astilleros del Nervión, Compañía Euskalduna ).

In addition, the steel mills were with their demand for ores, labor, machinery and tools and Railroads an important factor in the emergence of the province of Biscay as one of the most important industrial regions of Spain.

After the Spanish Civil War, the largely spared the Basque industry with destruction, iron and steel mills were the center of attraction for the rural exodus and the economic development of the area. This formed the basis for the growth of the metropolitan area of ​​Bilbao one of the largest urban areas of Spain. Cities like Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalate Ortuella and Abanto - Zierbena owe their size and to some extent their creation AHV.

After the boom years of the 1960s and early 1970s came the Spanish iron and steel industry, and with it AHV since the oil crisis in economic difficulties, had numerous, partly state -controlled restructuring, layoffs and reductions in capacity result. About the restructuring programs of the influence of the state increased to AHV. Finally, in December 1994 in the so -called Plan de Competitividad Conjunto AHV ENSIDESA ( the " competitiveness plan AHV ENSIDESA complex" ) AHV with the established by the Instituto Nacional de Industria steelmaker ENSIDESA became the Corporación Siderúrgica integral ( CSI, "Integrated steel-making company" ), if its reorganization in 1997 eventually led to the founding of Aceralia, which now belongs to Arcelor and Arcelor Mittal.

  • Company (Spain )
  • Former smelter
  • Bilbao
  • Companies ( Basque Country )
Heat of combustion Urbanization Portugalete
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