Houghton Partners with SMS Group

Houghton International, Inc. (Valley Forge, PA) a global leader in metalworking fluids and services, and SMS Group (Düsseldorf, Germany) announced an exclusive partnership to develop and distribute rolling oils for metal production. SMS, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of ferrous and non-ferrous plants and mill equipment for the production of flat, long, tubular and wire products, will work exclusively with Houghton to develop and apply advanced metal rolling technologies to meet the future demands of global metal producers.

Through this partnership, the two firms will leverage their research and development resources to develop advanced metal rolling oils, and Houghton will become the exclusive distributor of oils for SMS mill equipment. This will enable SMS to offer a complete system of rolling mill technology, including advanced cooling lubricants, to its customers worldwide. Houghton will expand business opportunities through its partnership with SMS as a leading rolling mill equipment supplier that shares experience in fluid applications and access to global metal producers.

“We are pleased to announce this exclusive partnership, as we both are leaders in the field of metal rolling equipment and fluids,” said Marcello Boldrini, the president of Global Metals & Mining and Asia for Houghton. “We now offer the only engineering and lubrication solution to global metal manufacturers, which enables us to provide the most advanced and targeted solutions to our customers.”

“We are glad about entering this partnership which will enable both of us to better meet the ever demanding market requirements for product quality and productivity,” said Rüdiger Holz, the vice president of Cold Rolling Mills Flat for SMS. “Our partnership will provide innovative solutions to our common customers in the metals producing industries worldwide.”

The SMS group, under the roof of SMS Holding GmbH in Düsseldorf, is a group of global players in machinery and plant construction for the steel and nonferrous metals industries  from metal smelting via casting, hot rolling, cold rolling and strip treatment to coil or sheet products. More than 14,000 employees generate global sales of some 3.4 billion euros.

Since 1865, Houghton has been serving the metalworking, aluminum and steel industries, along with a variety of other markets including the offshore oil exploration metal finishing and surface treatment industry, with the development and production of specialty chemicals, oils and lubricants. Headquartered in Valley Forge, the company maintains manufacturing and research facilities throughout the world.

www.houghtonintl.com, www.sms-group.com