SEUTHE - a Long History

The name SEUTHE has been inseparably linked with metal and machine building since 1899. August Seuthe, founder and visionary of the small owner-managed company, initially ensured that knife, fork and spoon are available in the households in the Sauerland region. In the following 70 years the company specialized increasingly on tube welding and section lines/roll forming.
Before the well-known and by their customers highly esteemed company drifted through much more troubled waters, the name SEUTHE and therefore the former product portfolio stood for quality, tradition and solidity far beyond Germany’s borders. To the same degree it also stood for innovative engineering, technological vision and purposeful pioneering spirit. Despite the significant proprietary know-how, the successors to the founding family were no longer able to cope with the effects of the economic crisis in the late 80s. After massive sales slumps they had to pass the family-owned company into third party’s hands in 1984.

The Stiehl family sold the company to the Swedish holding Parawan, then it was resold to the Rautaruukki group and subsequently to the VAI Linz, Austria, which was followed by the acquisition of the entire VAI by Siemens in 2007/2008.

Changes in ownership

Under VAI SEUTHE the development of the "cage forming" CTA technology took place in 1986. The first tube mill was a CTA for tubes with a diameter of 190 mm and a wall thickness of 10 mm. To date, more than 25 large diameter tube welding lines using this technology have been sold worldwide.

In 1994 a tube mill with cantilever for copper tubes up to ø 40 mm, wall thickness 0.4 – 1.5 mm, for a German customer was assembled and delivered. To the chagrin of employees and customers the management decided to discontinue in-house production in 1994/95 which was combined with a drastic workforce reduction down to around 35 employees. The hitherto still successful chain technology was sold to the Czech company CZ-Strakonicze in 1995.

In the 1990s the "cage forming" FCF technology where square-type tubes can be produced without a previous round tube was developed. To this day, nine complete tube mills with this innovative forming technology were sold worldwide.

Acquisition by ASMAG

When Siemens sold VAI SEUTHE to ASMAG in 2010 nearly 40 people were employed. With a number of investments and hiring of new employees ASMAG strengthened the company and constantly expanded the substantial know-how of SEUTHE. Thus SEUTHE developed a new generation of tube welding lines for precision tubes in 2011.

In the same year the purchase of new company premises with over 25,000 m2 took place. Since then owner and staff successfully implement the strategic goals and new ideas, both internally and externally.

A shared and living new corporate policy puts the focus on quality and in-production facilities. By 2012, all machinery and equipment were produced in-house in the new workshops. A new quality seal "Made in Germany" = "Quality made by SEUTHE" was founded. Then progress was made step by step and soon SEUTHE had catapulted all the way forward as a premier supplier of longitudinally welded tube welding lines.

Progress step by step

In 2012, shortly after the expiration of the non-competition clause, SEUTHE assembled and delivered an API-tube welding line to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in 2013 a customer in Germany started operation of the new generation of precision tube welding lines. Also in 2013 SEUTHE engineers worked out a new concept for stainless steel tube welding lines.

Since 2013 engineering and management are under one roof in its own office building on the premises of the assembly and in-house production. Since 2014 a new generation of section lines/roll forming is on the market. Presently SEUTHE has about 70 employees.