Zeman Group – Success built on innovation, quality and tradition
Since the founding of Zeman & Co GmbH in 1965, companies with more than 300 years of experience in steel construction have come together under the umbrella of the Zeman Group. It is pioneers and constants in the industry that make up the success of the Zeman Group. Since the very beginning, the Zeman Group has operated sustainably, consolidated its position through innovations in mechanical engineering and expanded with foresight. The fruits of success are harvested at the right time and invested in further sustainable growth. This is the secure basis on which our customers can rely.
1965
First constructions under a flying roof and open sky
In 1965, Hans Zeman and his partners founded the company Zeman & Co for the production of steel constructions. The first constructions were initially manufactured under a flying roof and in the open air, before the first own factory hall was built in Scheifling, Styria, in 1966.
1968
Gavle trapezoidal profile procurement
By sourcing trapezoidal profiles from the Swedish Gavle Verken, Zeman & Co was able to erect hall buildings of higher quality, which greatly expanded the business field and the range of products. In 1969 and 1971 the Zeman & Co factory was expanded.
1970
United Aluminium Plant Ranshofen
This order with a volume of more than 12 million Schillings caused an enormous growth spurt. The expansion of the company’s own production halls created the capacity to handle further large orders for General Motors, BMW and the Dürnrohr and Mellach district heating power stations.
1974
Launch of our own trapezoidal profile production
With the founding of Austroprofil, the Austrian market leader for the production of trapezoidal profiles was established. The adaptation of the mechanical equipment also laid the foundation for Zeman-Maschinenbau.
1976
Zeman & Co goes international
Zeman & Co took its first international steps to Saudi Arabia with the export of fully air-conditioned prefabricated houses. Further contacts in Jordan and Iraq were followed by major orders for the construction of turnkey cold storage houses and cattle farms.
1984
Development of the LEGATO arch system
With the development of the arch roll former and its worldwide patenting, another innovative step was taken. The trapezoidal sheet metal arches represented a new architectural and construction element that enabled Zeman to open up the European market.
In addition to successful application in Austria, the LEGATO arch system is marketed within Europe via licence agreements. Zeman’s mechanical engineering division produced and exported the machines. The first customer was the Finnish company Rannila in 1988, further exports went to Germany and Portugal, among others, and later also to the Czech Republic, Italy and Russia.
1985
European Steel Design Award
The first internationally sensational award for Zeman & Co, the European Steel Design Award, was presented for the “El Dorado” truss pyramid in Vösendorf, built in 1982. This project crowned a series of highly interesting projects realised in Austria.
More information about the project
1989
First company foundation abroad
Immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Florprofile company was founded in Poland, marking the opening of the company group to the East. Equipped with the most modern roll formers and systems for the production of profiled sheet from its own machine production, Florprofile was able to contribute significantly to the success of the group of companies over many years.
1990
Worldwide innovation: fully automated production of SIN corrugated web beams
Zeman was the first company in the world to develop a fully automated production line for welded sheet metal beams with a sinusoidally corrugated web. Order volumes of several 1000 tonnes became possible for the Zeman Group thanks to the increase in production efficiency. From then on, SIN corrugated beams were increasingly and successfully used in all areas of steel construction.
Machines made by Zeman became an export hit. The first machines for the production of SIN corrugated web beams were sold to Montana in Switzerland, Thyssen in Germany and others to Usinor in France, among others. Machines for the LEGATO arch system also sold worldwide.
1992
Further company foundations, expansion of the Group’s own production capacities and export hits
From 1990-1992, the companies KOVOVE profily in the Czech Republic, as a supplier of trapezoidal sheet metal and roof and wall cladding, and the project company Zeman HDF in Poland, which is now considered the specialist for high-quality steel construction in Poland, were founded. In addition, the company GZP was founded, which has made a name for itself with the production of steel structures.
Zeman also built a new hall for its mechanical engineering division, Zeman Bauelemente. As a result, machinery exports went to the Codeme company in Brazil, and later to Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and China. Through its presence at trade fairs in the USA from 1998 and later also in Russia and other countries, Zeman machines were able to convince customers on all continents.
2003
Expansion through integration of further companies into the Zeman Group
With the complete takeover of the international hall construction specialist PEM Buildings and the friendly integration into the Zeman Group, the steel construction project business was successfully expanded from England via the Urals to China.
2005
European Steel Design Award
Zeman & Co received the second European Steel Design Award for the “Airport Tower” project at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. For this project, Zeman & Co built a steel structure for an oversized projection screen onto which a translucent membrane is stretched. The assembly platform was built with SIN corrugated web girders. It was the largest membrane structure in Austria in 2005.
More information about the project
2007
European Steel Design Award
European Steel Design Award for Waagner Biro steel and glass, Zeman HDF and Zeman & Co for the atrium roof of the “Zlote Tarasy” (Golden Terraces), an office, entertainment and shopping centre in Warsaw.
Like a cloth draped over seven spheres – this is the image that the impressive architecture of steel and glass evokes in the viewer of the multifunctional building in the heart of Warsaw. At around 10,000 m², the geometrically complex grid shell is a huge free-form space. Triangular glass panes ensure the greatest possible flexibility in the design of the curvature. For the construction of the steel nodes, Waagner-Biro developed the technology that was already used in the construction of the roof of the Great Court in the British Museum. The use of this innovative technology resulted in an architectural landmark that is unique in its elegance throughout the country.
More information about the project
2008
New foundation of the company Zekon Spolka z o. o.
Zekon is the new production facility that emerged from GZP, a company that has existed for 15 years. The company’s main area of activity is the production of steel structures for industrial and warehouse halls, sports facilities and shopping centres, as well as for the energy and petrochemical sectors.
Zekon has a modern and automated production line for the manufacture of straight and convergent corrugated web beams SIN, which have been in great demand in recent years due to their relatively low weight and price compared to welded hot rolled sections and lattice structures.
Zekon uses software invented by the Belgian company SCIA for the automatic control of production lines and numerical machines. This software is integrated with steel construction software such as BOCAD, AUTOCAD, STEELFAB and HYPESTEEL.
Mehr Informationen zum Unternehmen Zekon
2011
European Steel Design Award
European Steel Design Award for Waagner Biro steel and glass and Zeman HDF for the Baku Airport toll booth.
The elliptical entrance arch with a width of just over 72 and a depth of 28 metres welcomes visitors to Baku Airport both on arrival by road and in the air. To emphasise the geometric shape, the structure is supported by only two concrete foundations. The smooth architecture of the arch is accentuated by a clear interface at the support points of the concrete base on which it sits, to ensure a smooth transition from the arch to the ground
The arch consists of a steel structure supporting a cable net arrangement, which in turn supports the row of suspended gold-coloured perforated panels. To ensure efficient construction time, the tubes and steel plates that make up the main structural ring and support frame, respectively, were prefabricated off-site using special customised moulds.
More information about the project
2013
European Steel Design Award for the roofing of the historic Salzburg Main Station
European Steel Design Award for Zeman & Cofor the roofing of the historic Salzburg main station.
The platform at the main building has its own listed roof, which was restored by Zeman & Co GmbH in the course of the conversion work. The over 100-year-old listed barrel roofs were restored and integrated into the new overall roof in such a way that they remain architecturally and statically independent.
For this purpose, the still riveted construction of the barrel roofs was dismantled by Zeman into thousands of individual parts, transported to the factory, refurbished there and then – according to the requirements of the new building – rebuilt somewhat offset. This historic construction was then integrated into the new platform roofs. Although the new roof structure has spans of up to 52 metres, the slender construction nestles up against the barrel roofs without touching them.
Thanks to the innovative fire protection concept, which took into account the melting out of the plastic membrane in case of fire, the strict fire protection specifications could be met without additional fire protection measures at comparatively low costs. The extensive construction work was carried out while the station was in full operation.
More information on the new platform roofs
More information on the renovation of the historic station concourse
2015
Further company participations of the Zeman Group
In 2009, the Zeman Group became a partner in Zbs Alfaçelik, a company founded in 1999 that offers project management, manufacturing and assembly for structural steelwork. Since 2015, the company has been 100% integrated into the Zeman Group. From the beginning of the partnership, Zeman Celik, the manufacturing site of Zbs Alfaçelik, has been equipped with state-of-the-art machinery from Zeman, has been able to continuously expand its production capacity, win international steel construction awards and expand its business field.
2020
Waagner Biro steel and glass back in Austrian hands
With the acquisition of Waagner Biro steel and glass GmbH, with a history dating back to 1854, the Zeman Group has expanded its know-how and range of products to include architecturally highly sophisticated steel and glass façades.
Both Waagner Biro steel and glass and the Zeman Group come from Austria. They have been working together for more than three decades. For example, they have realised the steel construction award-winning projects Złote Tarasy (Warsaw), Baku Airport (Azerbaijan) and Heartspace at Sheffield University in close cooperation. With its four offices in Vienna, London, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Waagner Biro steel and glass, as part of the Zeman Group, can now once again rely on its own production sites.
2021
World market leader in automated steel beam processing in demand
The Zeman Group’s factories are equipped with state-of-the-art fully automated production lines for steel beams, with welding robots and sorting systems. As the world market leader in this field, Zeman Bauelemente has long been courted by numerous companies. In order to meet the rapidly growing demand, promote the further development of the family business and secure market advantages in the long term, Zeman Bauelemente was sold to the US company Lincoln Electric AG in 2021.
