Producer
Wieland Group
German family-owned copper products conglomerate (HQ Ulm, Germany), founded 1820 in Vöhringen. Dominant global supplier of copper alloy strip for electronic connector terminals — the world's largest flat-rolled copper products company by volume. In 2024 Wieland made two major moves: (1) announced a $500 million modernization/expansion of its East Alton, Illinois plant (formerly the Olin Brass flagship site, first opened 1916) to add a new hot-rolling mill and casting unit targeting EV and connector-strip growth, with Illinois contributing ~$231M in incentives; (2) acquired Aurubis's Buffalo, NY flat-rolled copper strip facility (Aug 30, 2024), absorbing ~500 employees and its specialty connector-grade strip capacity. Wieland's connector alloys portfolio includes new grades K58 and K75 (high-strength, miniaturization-ready) and the established STOL series. Also supplies ACR copper tube (Pine Hall NC), plumbing tube, and industrial copper products. In CuNiSi/Corson alloys Wieland competes directly with Japanese producers for automotive connector strip.
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Inputs supplied
2
Goods downstream
5
Facilities
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Stories
What they make
4 inputs Wieland Group supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
manufactured
ACR Copper Tubing (refrigerant-grade) →
manufactured
Copper Alloy Strip (Electronic Connector Terminals) →
manufactured
Brass Rod & Castings (Plumbing Fittings) →
mineral
Copper Cathode (Plumbing Tube Grade) →
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Wieland Group makes — pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
5 facilities
Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG — Stolberg, Germany →
DENorth Rhine-Westphalia · manufacturing
Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG, Stolberg (Rhineland), North Rhine-Westphalia — 50/50 joint venture between Wieland Group and Aurubis AG. One of Europe's largest brass strip and rod production facilities; annual capacity of approximately 200,000+ tonnes of brass semi-finished products including strip, rod, profiles, and wire. The Stolberg/Aachen region has been a copper and brass processing center since the 16th century due to local zinc deposits (calamine). Schwermetall supplies European plumbing fittings manufacturers (including Grohe, Hansgrohe, Vaillant supply chains), automotive brass parts, and precision engineering customers. Source: https://www.schwermetall.de
Wieland Metals — Pine Hall, NC Manufacturing Facility →
USNorth Carolina · manufacturing
Wieland Metals Inc., Pine Hall, Stokes County, North Carolina — US manufacturing facility producing copper tube and brass products. Wieland acquired Olin Brass/Chase Industries operations and expanded US presence through acquisitions. Pine Hall produces copper ACR tube as well as brass strip and rod for US markets. The facility supplies brass and copper to US plumbing fittings and HVAC manufacturers. Source: https://www.wieland.com/en/company/locations/north-america
Wieland Rolled Products NA — East Alton, IL (fmr. Olin Brass) →
USIllinois · manufacturing
Primary U.S. copper and brass strip rolling facility for Wieland North America. Originally opened 1916 as Olin Brass. Wieland acquired Olin Brass and rebranded; in January 2024 announced a $500M multi-phase modernization to replace the century-old hot rolling equipment — new casting unit CU6 under construction in 2024, with a new hot mill, cold mill, and automated storage to follow. Targets EV connector strip, bus bars, and specialty connector alloys. ~800 employees. Source: https://www.wieland.com/en/about/news/wieland-unveils-500-million-modernization-and-expansion-project-in-east-alton-il
Wieland — Buffalo, NY Flat-Rolled Products (fmr. Aurubis Buffalo) →
USNew York · manufacturing
Acquired from Aurubis AG on August 30, 2024. ~500 employees. Produces copper and copper alloy strip and sheet for electronic connectors, heat exchangers, electrical products, and architectural applications. Acquisition strengthens Wieland's North American footprint for connector-grade alloy strip. Source: https://www.aurubis.com/en/media/press-releases/press-releases-2024/aurubis-sells-us-flat-rolled-products-site-in-buffalo-to-the-wieland-group
Wieland-Werke AG — Vöhringen Headquarters & Primary Plant →
DEBavaria · manufacturing
Wieland-Werke AG primary manufacturing facility and global headquarters, Vöhringen, Swabia, Bavaria — founded 1820 by Johannes Wieland. Core production of copper and brass strip, rod, tubes, and precision profiles. European plumbing fittings supply chain anchor. Produces both traditional lead-containing C36000-equivalent and lead-free Ecobrass (CuZn21Si3P) alloys for NSF 372 and EU Drinking Water Directive compliance. The Vöhringen plant has operated continuously since the Napoleonic era and is the oldest brass processing site in the Wieland network. Source: https://www.wieland.com/en/company/history
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map — where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Copper Tube (ACR + Plumbing)
40%Brass Rod, Strip & Profiles (via Schwermetall JV)
40%Specialty Copper Alloys & Rolled Products
20%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains — chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2023
The Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk plant in Stolberg, Germany (a 50/50 joint venture between Wieland and Aurubis) produces brass and copper strip for three completely separate supply chains from the same rolling mill: (1) Plumbing fittings brass strip: feeds European fittings manufacturers who machine or stamp brass fittings for hot and cold water plumbing; (2) Electronic connector strip: CuNiSi and tin-bronze alloy strip for stamped connector terminals in automotive wire harnesses and consumer electronics; every car built in Germany and every USB-C cable connector contains stamped terminals made from specialty copper strip produced by companies like Schwermetall; (3) Coin blanks: Schwermetall supplies copper-based coin blanks to European mints for euro coin production — the 1-cent through 10-cent euro coins are copper-plated steel or copper/zinc/copper clad, requiring precision-rolled copper strip. A single German copper mill, owned equally by Germany's two largest copper processors, feeds the European plumbing industry, the automotive electronics supply chain, and the Eurozone monetary system simultaneously.
Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH ↗Concentration2024
Wieland Group — founded in 1820 in Vöhringen, Germany, making it one of the oldest continuously operating industrial companies in Europe — controls a disproportionate share of the global lead-free brass supply chain through three simultaneous positions: (1) it produces Ecobrass (CuZn21Si3P) lead-free brass rod at Vöhringen and via Schwermetall Stolberg for European plumbing fittings manufacturers; (2) it owns or co-owns the US facilities (Pine Hall NC) supplying lead-free brass to North American markets; (3) through Schwermetall (JV with Aurubis), it controls the single largest European brass semi-finished production facility. The lead-free transition mandated by California AB 1953 (2010) and US federal law (2014) effectively granted Wieland and Mueller Industries a first-mover certification advantage that smaller brass rod producers have struggled to match — qualifying a new alloy for NSF 372 and plumbing code compliance requires testing, agency certification, and contractor acceptance that takes 3-5 years. The regulatory barrier to entry in lead-free brass rod is higher than in the traditional C36000 market.
Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office) ↗Origin2023
Wieland-Werke AG was founded in 1820 in Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg — a few years after Napoleon's defeat and during the early German industrialization era. The company remained private and family-controlled through two world wars, postwar industrial rebuilding, German reunification, and 200+ years of continuous operation. It is one of the oldest continuously family-owned industrial companies in Germany. The company's longevity is explained partly by its fundamental strategic position: copper and brass semi-finished products (rod, tube, strip) are inherently difficult to offshore because they are heavy, commodity-like in specification, and subject to tight quality requirements in plumbing codes and HVAC industry standards. Wieland's Schwermetall joint venture with Aurubis (50/50) — formed to pool brass strip rolling capacity — is itself a competitive moat: two of Germany's largest copper processors share a mill rather than each building redundant capacity, reducing fixed costs and maintaining utilization.
Wieland-Werke AG ↗