About Us | History

Le Four Electrique Belge, precursor of the current company FIB BELGIUM S.A., has been established in Antwerp on April 26, 1936.

The first realisations were heated electrically and were aimed at Antwerp based companies such as the Antwerp tramways and the SNCB (Société Nationale de Chemins de Fer - Belgian National Company of Railways).

The fabrication started in the cellar of a private house but a workshop has rapidly been rented in order to build and to assemble bigger installations.

On November 15, 1944, a nazi V2 rocket destroyed the workshops and the fabrication was interrupted to start again a few weeks later, in some makeshift sheds.

Le four Industriel Belge decided to establish its offices in Uccle at first and then in Tubize (Saintes) where it is still located today. By the end of the Second World War, the electricity produced by the newly-developed nuclear energy let believe that the electricity was going to become the almost unique source to heat industrial furnaces. However, the first reserves of natural gas were then discovered in Aquitaine (France) and a little bit later in the Netherlands and in Italy.

Aware of the extended possibilities offered by natural gas regarding the regulation of the furnaces and their atmosphere, Mr. HERMANS, Civil Engineer incorporator of Le Four Industriel Belge, took the first patents in order to develop the premix heating system with gas.

This original heating technique of the furnaces allowed at that time some original furnace constructions, the use of which already allowed a very rapid heating under atmosphere conditions that could be realized before only thanks to muffles, tubes and protective atmospheres.

The rapid heating of the wires under atmosphere had been invented by Le Four Industriel Belge.

Immediately, some installations were supplied to the Netherlands, to France and to Italy. So has the technique of open fired patenting been developed in France thanks to a customer-supplier collaboration and this in order to manufacture the wires necessary for the suspension cables of the Tancarville bridge.

The open fired patenting was then going to develop in France and Italy.

Le Four Industriel Belgewas present at the Universal Exposition that took place in Brussels.

The impulse given to the treatment of the wire thanks to premix burners was noticed in countries located beyond the Iron Curtain and so did a very big Polish company equip itself with 12 FIB patenting lines in 1973.

The Japanese technological wakefulness at that time led to the fact that FIB was approached by a Japanese company in order to conclude a license agreement. The latter enabled FIB to solidly establish itself in Japan, what then drew the attention of Korean industrialists who did not hesitate to order some identical installations to FIB.

The rapid heating thanks to the FIB equipments is used for the enamelling of baths, the firing of stoneware and bricks and the firing of electroporcelain. So do more than 250 installations for ceramics in Spain use some FIB furnaces.

FIB is the first manufacturer in the world that commercialised the covered pickling "FIB - TU" (development of TREFILEUROPE). The invention of the closing of the acid bath by some water curtains will become a classic in the wire drawing field and will revolutionize the lines.

At the beginning of the 80's, under the pressure of a requesting market in the United States and in Japan, FIB developed the techniques of fluidised beds in collaboration with the University of Brussels, the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles).

This technique that is also based on the premix of air and gas will lead FIB to original realisations that were at the origin of the replacement of lead in some factories where its use was considered as ecologically dangerous.

This original FIB technique in fluidised bed made it possible to develop a new diffusion technique aimed at “steel cord”.

- An Export Award was granted to FIB.

- FIB invented the diffusion fluidised bed for steel cord. A new era in the exploitation of brass coating lines has opened.

At the time being, 40 FIB installations are working in South Korea.

The very particular conditions that are necessary for the manufacture of “steel cord”-type wires aimed at the reinforcement of tires have convinced a German company to place a first order to FIB in this field.

This represented such a success that other famous names in the field rapidly became regular customers of FIB.

For its 60th anniversary, FIB decided to change its logo (the former logo represented a chained up flame).

FIB launched the nitrogen wiping nozzles on the market and these met a huge success among our customers.

- FIB introduced the cold fluxing on the market : a significant step in the comfort of the galvanizing lines operators has been made.

- FIB developed the austenitizing fluidised bed.

- FIB launched its new concept of quenching fluidised bed on the market : the Ecoquench was born !

- FIB was awarded a TÜV certificate for the safety of its hydrogen bell furnaces.

- FIB is opening its Web site.

- FIB is starting commercialising a new in-line pickling bath, the “Tornado pickling”.

- FIB is introducing on the market the automatic control of the zinc coating (zinc monitoring).

- The dedrossing system of metallic galvanizing tanks is commercialised.

INAUGURATION OF THE NEW HALL OF"FIB BELGIUM"

On June 10, 2005 "FIB Belgium" inaugurated its new hall (surface of 2400 m²) of shipment and refractory manufacturing in presence of the European senator and Magistrate of TUBIZE (Saintes) Mr. Raymond Langendries.

This building will be used to gather the material before shipping, ensuring the prefabrication of control of the equipment, as well as the isolation of the furnaces. The localization of the headquarters in urban zone of Brussels and the commercial activity deployed there, required a displacement of the truck traffic towards the periphery of the capital (The hall is located at less than 20 km from Uccle).

FIB has been awarded on 11 October 2006 by the CCIB (Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and the UEB (Union of the Brussels Enterprises) the Brussels Export Award 2006.

This price is rewarding FIB for its initiative, innovation and ambition spirit but also for the increase of its turnover and its presence in more than 35 countries all over the world.

We are proud to inform you that Le Four Industriel Belge was part of the select group of the 200 Trends Gazelles 2006 & 2007 in Brussels.

This means that during the period going from 2000-2004, our company was among the 200 companies that registered the most rapid growth in the province of Brussels.

FIB BELGIUM sa CONTINUOUS LINES AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE WIRE INDUSTRY

After 62 years of activity in the Brussels facility, FIB moved to a new, bigger and better place in SAINTES (25 km SW of Brussels, Belgium). With 5000 square meters of workshop and 1200 square meters of offices, the new place offers many advantages. Further to the existing machines, the workshop will include new steel manufacturing facility.

The workshop also includes a new furnace for the manufacturing of burners and refractory parts used on our installations.

FIB is the world largest manufacturer of continuous lines for the steel wire industry and the only one to propose his own burner system, the famous FIB premix system.

The largest portion of our products, steel casing, refractory lining, combustion piping, are fully designed and manufactured in our premises. It is your guarantee of quality. The new facility also includes better conditions for R&D, pre-assembling and inspection of equipment before delivery. All in one, this investment will help us to better serve and welcome our customers.

FIB Belgium is the winner of the thirteenth edition of the “L’Entreprise de l’Année” event.