History

From John Cockerill to CMI

Based from the beginning in the former castle of the Prince Bishops of Liège, where John Cockerill was established 1817, the Group is keeping alive the tradition of this industrial genius who, throughout his life, sparked off the remarkable economic future of the Walloon region. A man of diversified interests with foreign contacts, John Cockerill was a great industrial explorer who continues to inspire his successors with a taste of entrepreneurship and the determination to surpass oneself.

1817
The British John Cockerill begins his industrial activity as part of the family business established in the Liege area, where it produces textile weaving looms. He soon becomes interested in steam machinery and builds the first working steam locomotive on the European continent.

1823-1910

John Cockerill diversifies his activities by investing in a blast furnace, developing the first gun to bear his name, and banking on the Diesel engine in particular to power his locomotives.

Through successive mergers, Cockerill’s steel business grew. Though overshadowed by its main business, the mechanical engineering activities continued with developments in new fields, using the technique that has proved successful right from the start: alertness to new technical developments, acquisition of patents and enhancement of processes.

1982
Cockerill’s Mechanical Construction Division becomes a subsidiary of Cockerill Sambre and takes on the name of  Cockerill Mechanical Industries (CMI).

1995
Always receptive to the demands of its markets, CMI starts up a maintenance and services department for specialised industrial equipment.

2002
Usinor, a shareholder in the Walloon iron and steel company Cockerill Sambre, sells CMI to a private, independent consortium of shareholders. CMI thus assumes John Cockerill’s heritage and becomes an autonomous group focused on the performance and reliability of its equipment. Ever entrepreneurial, the Group then embarks on a period of rapid growth.

2004
Cockerill Mechanical Industries becomes Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie. This change of name highlights CMI’s determination to exploit the synergies existing between its two core specialities: engineering and maintenance.

2008
CMI is established in India and enters into the very exclusive circle of suppliers capable of providing industrial cold steel complexes. CMI exceeds the € 800 million mark in turnover, having registered continuous growth since 2002. With a more extensive portfolio of products and services, more operational entities, more sites in more countries, plus the expertise of more and more employees, the Group bolsters its international base and reach.