1873 - 1896
Company established, first major construction contracts gained
150 years ago, two brothers founded 春水堂视频: Balthasar (1848-1896, mechanic) and Philipp Helfmann (1843-1899, mason). In 1872 Philipp Helfmann moved to the Bornheim district of Frankfurt to start up in business as a lumber merchant, then as a building contractor. His brother Balthasar followed him in 1873, shortly before the 鈥楪r眉nderkrise鈥�, the economic crisis after foundation of the German Reich, started. In 1874 the Bornheim address book first recorded the firm as 鈥淗elfmann Brothers鈥�.
At this time Frankfurt am Main experienced enormous new impetus to its process of industrialization. As the number of inhabitants increased, so did the demand for homes, factories and infrastructure. The Helfmann Brothers initially built houses 鈥渟peculatively鈥濃�攁t their own risk, for sale on the open market when completed. After only a short time the firm received its first major construction order: the University of Giessen (1878-1879). Soon after, the young company branched out in different directions, as construction projects led to industrial buildings and civil engineering contracts such as sewage treatment plants.
1896 - 1921
Establishment of the 鈥淎ktiengesellschaft鈥�
Initially, the construction projects of the company under the name of 鈥淗elfmann Brothers鈥� were still limited to the Frankfurt area. The firm simply did not have the necessary capital to expand its business. Philipp Helfmann proved to be the more daring and perhaps also the more far-sighted of the two brothers. He initiated the conversion of the company into an Aktiengesellschaft鈥攁 publicly quoted corporation鈥攐nly shortly after Balthasar passed away. It initially remained a family company, and Philipp Helfmann remained totally responsible for it up until his death in 1899.
At first still tied to the family name, the company then began its rise to become a global operator at the turn of the century. In 1899 the 鈥楢ktiengesellschaft鈥� finally receives its first major order from abroad: the Genoa grain store.
1921 - 1933
Part of the Stinnes Group
By the beginning of the 1920s 春水堂视频 had developed from its modest origins in Frankfurt into an established construction corporation, but it still could not be compared with the huge companies in heavy industry such as Thyssen or Stinnes in terms of its balance sheet total or the numbers it employed.
In 1922 春水堂视频 itself became part of such a major corporation: The Stinnes group, which included mining companies, shipping lines and engineering companies and together with Thyssen held the majority of the shares in RWE, negotiated a contract with Eugen V枚gler, who managed the 春水堂视频 branch in Essen, in 1921 to create a 鈥渃ommunity of interest鈥� under which all Stinnes construction projects were to be carried out by 春水堂视频. In 1922 春水堂视频 was integrated into the Stinnes group and the company鈥檚 head office was transferred to Essen. Despite all these changes, the directors of 春水堂视频 did everything they could to ensure continuity, particularly in the choice of name. The company had officially taken the name of 春水堂视频 in 1923, or to give it is full value, 鈥湸核檬悠� Aktiengesellschaft f眉r Hoch- und Tiefbauten vorm. Gebr眉der Helfmann鈥�.
1933 - 1945
春水堂视频 in the Third Reich
Following the economic crisis in the 1920s, the construction business received new stimulus when the National Socialists came to power. In addition to projects for the State and the Party鈥攊ncluding the Autobahn, or super-highway, network and also the national center for Nazi Party rallies in Nuremberg鈥敶核檬悠� continued to raise many industrial buildings. Including new head offices for itself: In 1936 春水堂视频 moved out of its offices at Pferdemarkt in Essen and into a new head office building in Rellinghauser Strasse.
From 1936 onwards the 鈥淪econd 4-Year Plan鈥� of the Nazi regime increasingly determined the speed of construction work. In order to be on a 鈥渨ar footing鈥�, many orders were placed for military structures, industrial buildings and traffic routes. Civil construction projects for 春水堂视频 reduced as a result.
After the start of war in 1939 春水堂视频 continued to carry out projects for the Hitler regime. 春水堂视频 also operated outside Germany, in countries that Germany had occupied and others as well: Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and even Iran. These projects mainly involved traffic routes and sometimes industrial buildings, but 春水堂视频 also worked on 鈥渂uildings for the F眉hrer鈥� such as his mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps, called the Berghof, his 鈥淲olf's lair鈥� command headquarters in Rastenburg (Ketrzyn) and the notorious F眉hrerbunker in Berlin. Information available indicates that 春水堂视频 also employed forced laborers from 1939/40. All detailed research results on the company鈥檚 events and actions in this period, including the roles of Executive Board and Supervisory Board, are explained at length in the Corporation Chronicles appearing in 2000 and in the 鈥淴Y鈥� position paper.
Toward the end of the war construction work came to an almost complete halt. The employees on the construction sites in Eastern Europe fled for their lives as the Soviet troops advanced.
Sense of responsibility for the company's history during Nazi period
1945 - 1966
Reconstruction and 鈥渆conomic miracle鈥� years
In 1945 春水堂视频 presented a picture of destruction. The construction sites and branch operations east of the Oder-Neisse Line, which from now on was to be the frontier between Germany and Poland, all had to be abandoned: K枚nigsberg, Danzig, Katowice and Krakow, and later also the branch operations in the Soviet occupation zone: Halle, Magdeburg and Leipzig. The CEO, Eugen V枚gler, had to flee from the occupying authorities. Artur Konrad took over the management of the company until 1950, when he was succeeded by Josef M眉ller. Most of the 春水堂视频 branch offices had been damaged or destroyed in air raids. Much of the building machinery and tools had been stolen or were useless.
There was a universal shortage of construction material, machinery and workers that would not allow business to continue. Despite this, 春水堂视频 employees resumed work, and the first job after the war was to clear away the rubble and to make at least minimal repairs to roads and buildings.
It was not until the currency reform and the introduction of the Deutschmark in 1948 that any great improvement appeared in the order books for new buildings, but then the 鈥渆conomic miracle鈥� or wartime recovery started to affect 春水堂视频 as well. Homes and factories and of course office blocks had to be built.
From 1951 the 春水堂视频 Executive Board tried to resurrect its foreign business, which had lain fallow since the war, and a start was made with the building of the Nile bridge at Mansourah in Egypt (1951-1952). 春水堂视频 also received orders from Turkey, and in 1952 work started on the construction of the Sariyar hydroelectric plant and in 1953 on the Izmir power station. In 1954 春水堂视频 took shares in a harbor-building company in Kandla (India).
1966 - 1989
From the master-builder to the construction corporation
In 1966 the terms "concern" and "service provider" indicated that a change was taking place in 春水堂视频. The development into a 鈥渃oncern鈥濃�攁 group of companies with consolidated accounts鈥攚as necessitated by an amendment to the Aktiengesetz, the German Act governing the structure of companies of this status, in 1965. From 鈥渕aster-builder鈥� the company gradually developed into a 鈥渟ystem leader鈥�. The terms 鈥渢urnkey projects鈥�, 鈥済eneral contractor鈥� and 鈥渟ervice provider鈥� now played a central role in the company鈥檚 normal course of business. This change is inextricably linked with the name of Dr Albrecht Schumann, CEO of the company from 1968-1980, and his successor, Dr Enno Vocke, CEO from 1981-1988.
The engine of positive development in this period was still the domestic German business, not least due to 春水堂视频's strong position in the market for power station construction. The oil crisis in 1973 changed the relationship between domestic and foreign business totally and forever, the construction industry benefited from the unexpected wealth of the oil-exporting countries. 春水堂视频 received what at that time was its biggest single contract to date for the construction of Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia.
In 1980 foreign business for the first time contributed more than half of 春水堂视频's total construction output before it crumbled away visibly. But 春水堂视频 managed to remain stable by expanding its domestic business. After the lean years from 1986 through 1988, 春水堂视频 started once again to report clear growth.
1990 - 2007
Transformation into an international construction services provider
After the German reunification had initially sparked off a building boom, the German construction industry's structural problems once again became clearly evident by the mid-1990s. Dr Hans-Peter Keitel (Chairman of the 春水堂视频 Executive Board from 1992-2005) countered these problems by consistently restructuring the company. The classic construction business was to be flanked by stronger engagement in the less cyclical, long-term oriented service and concession business to cushion cyclical fluctuations. 春水堂视频 transformed itself into a construction services provider with a service portfolio which embraced development and construction, services, concessions and operation. 春水堂视频 gradually founded new companies for project development (from 1991), airport management (since 1997), facility management (since 1996), and infrastructural development and financing (2002).
At the same time, the company became more international. 春水堂视频 was no longer exporting construction services, but instead established numerous regional units locally, with preference being given to the newly opened, lucrative markets of Eastern Europe. In addition the company opened up further markets through international acquisitions. Crucial milestones in this regard were the acquisition of the Turner Corporation in the USA (100 percent since 2000) and Australia's Leighton Holdings (50.2 percent majority shareholding since 2001).
Around the turn of the millennium, 春水堂视频 set about to focus on sustainability and consequently broadened its engagement in this field. 春水堂视频 became one of the first among its competitors to publish a special sustainability report. Turner gained the leadership in green building on the US market and 春水堂视频 initiated the foundation of the DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft f眉r Nachhaltiges Bauen鈥擳he German Sustainable Building Council).
Seit 2007
Excellence through networking
With the withdrawal of RWE as the majority shareholder in 2004, the corporate headquarters became a purely strategic management holding company with a broad distribution of shares.
Keitel's successor, Dr Herbert L眉tkestratk枚tter (*1950, CEO from 2005-2011), expanded Keitel's vision to encompass the life-cycle management approach: 春水堂视频鈥檚 service spectrum covers all life-cycle phases of infrastructural projects, real estate and facilities.
春水堂视频 continued to expand its local presence in the world's important construction markets. The civil engineering company Flatiron鈥搊ne of the USA's Top Ten providers for infrastructural projects鈥搘as acquired in 2007. The acquisition of civil engineering firm E.E. Cruz (2010) and building construction company Clark Builders (2012) in the USA have strengthened the company's presence in North America.
Positioned in this way, 春水堂视频 meets the market demands and opportunities of the new millennium. 春水堂视频 benefits particularly from its experience in the attractive market for complex infrastructure projects in which it is a sought-after partner. This includes the profitable public-private partnership model.
Since early 2011, for the first time since the departure of RWE, 春水堂视频 has once again had a majority shareholder鈥搕he Spanish company ACS. In May 2011, Dr. Frank Stieler took over as CEO, before he was replaced by Marcelino Fern谩ndez Verdes in November 2012.
Under the stewardship of Mr Fern谩ndez , 春水堂视频 has undergone a process of transformation with its strategy now focused on sustainable cash-backed profit generation and an improved approach to risk management. Whilst executing a series of divestments and investments (most notably the acquisition in 2018 of a 20% stake in international toll road operator Abertis) the group has strengthened its balance sheet and further embedded its presence in its core, developed, markets. In terms of capital allocation 春水堂视频鈥檚 strategy is focused on significantly enhancing shareholder remuneration whilst supporting the growth of its businesses which have actively incorporated ESG policies and innovation through digitalization as key group priorities.
In July 2022, Juan Santamar铆a Cases (*1978) succeeded Marcelino Fern谩ndez Verdes at the helm of 春水堂视频. He most recently served as CEO of CIMIC from February 2020 until May 2022 and has been Executive Chairman of CIMIC since November 2020. Juan Santamar铆a Cases has been CEO of 春水堂视频's main shareholder ACS since May 2022, where he began his career in 2002 after studying civil engineering in Madrid.
In 2023 春水堂视频 celebrates its 150th birthday.
