Voestalpine AG
| Voestalpine AG | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Industry | Mining |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Headquarters | Linz, Austria |
| Area Served | Worldwide |
| CEO | Wolfgang Eder |
| Chairman Supervisory Board | Joachim Lemppenau |
| Products | Tool steel plates, pipes and wires, steel automotive components |
| Market Value | 7 583 m$ |
| Employees | 48,113 (2014)) |
| Website | www.voestalpine.com |
Contents
About Voestalpine
Voestalpine Group includes around 500 companies located in more than 50 countries around the world. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. Voestalpin Group is considered the world leader in the manufacture, processing, and development of sophisticated steel products. They supply technology-intensive sectors, such as the automotive, railway, aviation, and energy industries.
Engagement in Cultural Diplomacy
Voestalpine steel was used in numerous products, such as the newest Airbus generation, but also in buildings; for example, the Atomium in Brussels, Wembley Stadium in London, and the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. The group is proud of this fact and promotes it as much as possible.
The Group fulfills its corporate responsibility and supports social, cultural, and educational activities in many different ways. They demonstrate this commitment by long-term sponsoring partnerships or projects. When selecting among the different projects, it is a particular priority for Voestalpine that they are in line with corporate values and generate a sustainable benefit for all society.
The Voestalpine Group invests not only in research and development but also in environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. All their products have to fulfill ecological requirements, such as: long useful life, conservation of resources and optimum reusability, recyclability, and recoverability. Voestalpine considers environmental protection as the responsibility of each individual employee at all levels and in all business sectors. That is why all the employees are taught to promote environmentally conscious behavior.
Employment Policy
They offer jobs for experienced professionals, apprenticeships and jobs for students and graduates. Individual training and support and the opportunity for employees to play a proactive role in the company are the key points of employment policy agenda. There generally use small and manageable units and teams. Most of the Group companies are structured like mid-sized companies. Nevertheless, employees are able to enjoy the advantages of a large corporation. The employees also have the opportunity to participate in the company’s success through an employee shareholding program. 14,4% of the share capital is held by employees in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.
Education
Experiences are extremely valuable in the Voestalpine Group. They offer professionals new challenges and opportunities for integration in the work process and continuing education in the field. Professionals are supported to widen their knowledge and to develop both professionally and personally. Every employee is constantly in touch with the product and the company. Voestalpine also actively invests in future employees. Around 1,350 apprentices are currently being trained in the company and there are thousands of skilled workers who have already graduated from their training facilities. Since 2008, they have also been offering the “apprenticeship with high school diploma” program at Austria’s training center in Linz. In Voestalpine, education does not only mean professional knowledge, but also development of personal and social skills, teamwork, and intercultural relations (for example; traveling abroad, excursions, team-building programs, outdoor training, etc.).
International Internship Program
Voestalpine put an emphasis on the intersection of science and practical application. Students acquire valuable insights into business by way of internships, theses, and trainee programs, in exchange for their innovative ways of thinking about the projects and products. The most preferred fields of study for the students interested in internships in Voestalpine are: metallurgy, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical and process engineering, physics and technical physics, chemistry and technical chemistry, automation engineering, electrical engineering, industrial environmental protection, mechatronics, computer sciences and business informatics, economics, and law.
Grants and Scholarships
Scholarships are available for students in specific cases for technical research.
Cooperation with universities
Many employees teach at universities all over the world. Candidates for a diploma or a Ph.D. can profit from the Voestalpine’s wide scale of activities - from the study of economics to legal issues and technical research.
Notable activities
Activities in the Field of Humanitarian Aid
Voestalpine is a major donor to projects, not only in Europe, but also in the other parts of the world. For example, they were involved in providing relief after the major earthquakes in Pakistan (in collaboration with the Licht ins Dunkel charity organization), and Japan (construction of an orphanage in collaboration with Caritas, an Austrian charity organization). In Russia, the orphanage in Sofrino, 50 kilometers north-west of Moscow, received financial support from the company as well as employees donating clothing and games. In Brazil, the company supports the “Casa do Adolescente” a youth center run by the Franciscan Order, where 60 needy children receive a warm lunch every day at their school.
Supporting Music and Visual Arts
Voestalpine has a longstanding partnership with the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz. The project is related to the future-oriented topics of energy and mobility.
Another project, “Project 80+1”, also addressed future-oriented issues; this was a significant part of Voestalpine’s activities as the main sponsor of the events surrounding Linz the 2009 Cultural Capital of Europe. From September 2012, the company has been also the main sponsor for the Voestalpine Klangwolke event - an open-air performance that has been taking place since 1979, which is a bridge between the Linz Bruckner Festival and the Ars Electronica Festival, and its popularity brings in 100,000 visitors.
During the period in question, various longstanding collaborations and sponsorship projects were carried out in Austria, for example, Kulturwerk, a media collaboration with ORF, participation in the “Long Night of the Museums,” and support for the new Musiktheater in Linz.
Supporting Sports
In cooperation with the Austrian Skiing Association, Voestalpine erected the Voestalpine skygate, an arch made of 130 tons of steel that was used as the towering gate to the finish line in the ski stadium at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championship 2013 in Schladming, Austria.
