Page "History of Germany" Paragraph 183

Germany became Europe's leading steel-producing nation in the 1890s, thanks in large part to the protection from American and British competition afforded by tariffs and cartels.

The leading firm was " Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp ," run by the Krupp family.

The merger of several major firms into the Vereinigte Stahlwerke ( United Steel Works ) in 1926 was modeled on the U. S. Steel corporation in the United States.

The new company emphasized rationalization of management structures and modernization of the technology ; it employed a multi-divisional structure and used return-on-investment as its measure of success.

By 1913, American and German exports dominated the world steel market, as Britain slipped to third place.