thyssenkrupp in South America

South America, with close to 4,000 employees, is one of thyssenkrupp’s main operations outside Germany. The company has been doing business in the region for 180 years.

In 1837, the company's owner, Alfred Krupp, received the first order from a Brazilian customer to supply two engraved cylinders for minting coins. Shortly thereafter, the company built a ship for transporting goods and passengers for Cruzeiro do Sul, a shipping company based in Santos (São Paulo State), and also received the first order for a steam locomotive for the Central do Brasil railroad company.

In 1961, thyssenkrupp’s first plant in South America opened in Campo Limpo Paulista (São Paulo State). This was also the group’s first metallurgical plant outside Europe. This operation boosted the company's performance in a number of industrial segments in Brazil, including the automotive industry, for which Metalúrgica Campo Limpo is now one of the major suppliers of components for cars, commercial vehicles and machinery.

In 1987, a new milestone: the supply of Tupi Class submarines for the Brazilian Navy. These vessels are critically important to national security, and are responsible today for patrolling the country’s coast and the pre-salt oil basins.

The expansion and diversification of thyssenkrupp’s operations continued over the following decades, at pace with the growth of the economy and also through mergers and acquisitions. In 2020, thyssenrupp won the contract for building four Tamandaré Class Frigates for the Brazilian Navy - the most modern and innovative naval project ever built in national territory.

As part of the strategy to enable the green transformation, in 2022 thyssenkrupp signed a contract with Unigel to supply its alkaline water electrolysis technology for the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil.

Solid Footprint in the region

• 9 out of 10 vehicles produced in the region are equipped with thyssenkrupp components

• 1 out of 2 wind power mills in Brazil is equipped with thyssenkrupp components

• Every locally manufactured aircraft is equipped with thyssenkrupp parts

• We are responsible for the most modern and innovative naval project ever built in national territory: The Tamandaré Class Frigates

• Supply of water electrolysis technology for the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil