"A small workshop in rural Rhedebrügge - this is where construction mechanic Thomas Reining started out in 1996 with lots of ideas in his head. His goal: to turn them into creative steel objects and try out new techniques in the process. "Doing things differently", this approach founded the successful development of the company and is still the driving force for every steelworker today. The creative mechanic inspired his friend, metalworker Ulrich Meerkötter, with his ideas and together they forged plans and objects. They constructed and designed high-quality stainless steel objects - everything a house needs. Soon the time was ripe for a larger location.

Gradually, commercial customers began to take notice of the creative workshop's unusual ideas. So the focus shifted to the design and manufacture of exclusive work for store and trade fair construction for national and international customers - from trim to complex components, whether for Dior boutiques or the Toyota trade fair stand. Ideas were bubbling, business was booming, deadlines were pressing and the team was growing. "We didn't have to worry about new customers," says Managing Director Ulrich Meerkötter. During this time, the second generation was also infected with a passion for steel. Marc Meerkötter was already shaping things from metal scraps at a young age. He found his dream job when he trained as a master metalworker and joined the company.

The economic crisis caused a cutback. Orders for shopfitting and trade fair construction declined, but the steelworkers used this as an opportunity. At last, the creative minds found time to return to their original passion: inventing innovative techniques for working stainless steel and experimenting with shapes and surfaces to create unique visual effects. "The results always lead to new techniques," explains Marc Meerkötter. Experimenting and finding perfection in the details - that's the challenge and that's what drives the steelworkers. So they design, plan and manufacture projects in 3D and realize the most spectacular ideas and revolutionary shapes.

In 2008, Steelworks moved into its new building - a hall that resembles an artist's studio on the inside. Today, around 65 employees are at work here. One team uses specially developed, patented technology to produce stainless steel accessories for yachts such as the world's largest sailing ship, the White Pearl, while others work on projects such as the exclusive mirror installations in the premium clubhouse of the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, and still others on staircase handrails for Airbus, logos and lettering, or installations for internationally exhibiting artists.

Marc Meerkötter has also been a member of the management team for two years. A harmonious triumvirate: Thomas Reining is the creative one, Ulrich Meerkötter the steady one, his son Marc the technician. Together with their team, they live the passion for steel."

KÖPFE - Founders Owners and decision-makers in the region, Borkener Zeitung, 2017
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