Changing of the guard for Germany’s shredder hammer icon

After more than 35 years leading Stahlwerke Bochum (SWB), Bruno Mayer is retiring and handing over sole management of the company to his son Stephan.

SWB specialises in casting wear-resistant tools and components for steel shredders, among others, and for the processing of minerals, rocks and construction scrap.

In 1988, Mayer took over the management of the steel foundry, which was then still operating under the umbrella of steel giant Thyssen as SWB Stahlformgussgesellschaft. Under his leadership, SWB developed into a major global supplier of tools and components for shredder technology. Since 2006, it has been a 100% subsidiary of SWB Holding, an owner-managed family business.

Major task

Bruno Mayer remains the majority shareholder and chairman of the management board of SWB Holding.

His successor Stephan has been with SWB since 2008 and his roles include responsibility for operational management. He is also a shareholder and member of the management of SWB Holding.

SWB says a major task awaits the new head in ‘making the company future-proof towards reaching the global climate goals’. SWB is one of Germany’s energy-intensive manufacturing companies.