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Centraalstaal BV is a Dutch company, with headquarters in Groningen, Netherlands. The company was formed in 1972 as an initiative from the shipyards in the north of the Netherlands to start a joint prefabrication plant for the cutting and forming of sheet metal. The company is part of the Central Industry Group from the Netherlands.
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Centraalstaal is currently internationally active in the shipbuilding industry, the architecture industry and the art industry.
History
Centraalstaal initially started as a pre-processing plant with the sole purpose to support the shipbuilding industry in the north of the Netherlands. In 1972, several shipyards in the north of the Netherlands decided cooperate with each other, rather than compete against each other, in order to cut costs and to obtain a stronger position in the international shipbuilding industry. A result of this cooperation was the decision to cut production costs by starting a company that would provide prefabricated (precut and preformed) steel to the shipyards, thereby eliminating the necessity for each shipyard to invest in expensive prefabrication equipment. This resulted in the creation of a prefabrication factory and head office in the city of Groningen, which became known by the name of Centraalstaal BV. In 1977, Centraalstaal became part of the Central Industry Group, a holding company which currently owns 10 companies that offer a wide range of services to the international shipbuilding industry including engineering services, engineering software development, ship's equipment and steel prefabrication.
On most projects, in both the shipbuilding and the architecture industry, Centraalstaal works together in close coordination with sister companies Numeriek Centrum Groningen and Vuyk Engineering Groningen for the engineering work that precedes the manufacturing process. Both companies are part of the Central Industry Group.
Positive market conditions and a growing demand for Centraalstaal's services from outside the Netherlands resulted in the creation of two sister companies. In 1998, Ostseestaal GMBH was set up in Stralsund, Germany, in order to be able to cope with the demand coming from the German and East European markets. In 2008, Centraalstaal India Steel Pvt Ltd. was started in Hangarkatta, India, to cover the Asian market. The three Centraalstaal companies are independent from each other but are all part of the Central Industry Group and work together on joint projects under the banner of Centraalstaal International (CSI).
Shipbuilding industry
Since the start of the company in 1972, Centraalstaal provides prefabricated 'building kits' to the international shipbuilding industry. These building kits consist of an assortment of precut and preformed plates and profiles that are used by shipyards in order to assemble the hull and the superstructure of a ship. Although the company's main customer base is in the Netherlands, Centraalstaal has delivered prefabricated steel to approximately 150 shipyards worldwide.
Architecture industry
Centraalstaal is active in the architecture industry as a manufacturing and engineering partner to architects and construction companies for the construction of building façades and structures involving three dimensionally shaped metal plates. Since 2003, the company has worked on a wide range of different projects on both a national and an international level. For the production of the metal plates Centraalstaal uses production methods and construction methods that are directly adopted from the shipbuilding industry.
Art industry
Centraalstaal has been active in the art industry as a manufacturer of works of art consisting of 3D shaped metal plates. The most notable artworks that Centraalstaal has produced are the 'Hive' and the 'Memory' sculptures designed by London-based artist Anish Kapoor. The 'Memory' sculpture has been on display in the Guggenheim Museum of Berlin and is currently on display in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The 'Hive' sculpture has been on display in the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Both sculptures were made out of Cor-Ten steel'.