History and Tradition

1872 - 2025

Donges SteelTec GmbH

150 years of experience in structural steel engineering, innovative designs and buildings and a highly motivated and competent workforce: Donges SteelTec GmbH in Darmstadt. Our company plans, manufactures and assembles architecturally sophisticated projects in the fields of steel bridge construction, steel structural engineering, as well as industrial facade and turnkey construction, and with its references, it is one of Germany’s market and technology leaders.

The history of the company can be traced back to 1872, when Georg Donges founded a locksmith business. After Donges was run as a medium-sized family-owned company for several generations, the Hitachi Group acquired the company’s business operations in 2008, thus securing expertise in steel construction for its international business involving the construction of coal-fired power plants. Since November 2017, Donges SteelTec has been part of the Munich-based Mutares Group.

With the acquisition of various national and international construction companies since 2018 the Donges Group has repositioned itself as a specialist supplier of steel bridges, steel structures, roof and wall solutions on the European market.

Donges SteelTec is continuously adapted to the requirements of modern technology, maintaining at its headquarters in Darmstadt a fabrication plant with its own modern factory facilities on a 65,000 square-meter site. With 200 highly-qualified, experienced employees, we offer services involving all aspects of construction projects from a single source, from project planning, structural engineering and design, right down to fabrication and assembly. The annual production capacity at the Darmstadt plant is approx. 20,000 metric tons.

The technical expertise and experience of our company is manifest in the completion of many major projects and outstanding buildings such as the curved steel structures of the Berlin Central Station, the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, the Stuttgart exhibition center’s multi-level parking garage, the Wesel Rhine Bridge, the Schönebeck Elbe Bridge, the stadium roof of the Rhein Neckar Arena (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), the coal-fired power plants in Wilhelmshaven, Rotterdam, as well as in Kusile and Medupi in South Africa, or the launch table and umbilical mast of the ARIANE 6 launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

From the company’s founding up until today

  • 1872

     

    Founding

    In 1872, Georg Donges opens a locksmith business with three employees in Darmstadt.

  • "Eisenbauanstalt Georg Donges"

    By around 1900, the workforce of “Eisenbauanstalt Georg Donges” (“Georg Donges Ironworks”) reached 100 employees, and in the decades that followed, the company developed into a leading steel and bridge engineering firm.

     

    1900

  • 1910

     

    Dornheimerweg-Brücke

    “Eisenbauanstalt Georg Donges” fabricates and assembles the Dornheimerweg Bridge in Darmstadt, the first major road bridge over a railway track.

  • Donges Stahlbau GmbH

    From 1933, the company operates under the name of “Donges Stahlbau GmbH”.

     

    1933

  • 1948

     

    Rebuilding

    The destroyed production facilities are rebuilt.

  • Hall construction

    Already in the 1950s, Donges is the first company in Germany to begin constructing standardized commercial and industrial buildings.

     

    1952

  • 1978

    European Steel Design Awards

    Donges receives the European Steel Design Award for the laboratories and machinery testing facilities at the Darmstadt Technical University.

  • 100 MW BEWAG heating block, Berlin-Moabit

    Donges receives an order for the structural engineering, design, fabrication and assembly of the 5,000 ton steel construction, including corrosion protection for the boiler support structure, air preheater supports, coal bunker and power station.

     

    1988/89

  • 1990

     

    Hangars

    By assembling the 850 ton main girder for the hangar in Munich, Donges manages to lift one of the largest and heaviest steel components in Germany.

  • Flue gas desulphurization plant (FGD), Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant

    First major order in the new federal states of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Structural engineering, design, fabrication and assembly of the steel structure for 3 modules, each with one absorber building, drainage building, limestone mill and switchgear building, pipe and cable bridges (19,000 t)

     

    1992

  • 1995

     

    Shipbuilding assembly hall 290, Volkswerft shipyard in Stralsund, Germany

    Technical finishing, delivery and assembly of steel structures, gate systems, roof and wall cladding.

  • DaimlerChrysler Technology Center, Sindelfingen facility

    Implementation, delivery and assembly of approx. 23,000 t of steel construction for the Center for Vehicle Development.

     

    1996

  • 1996

     

    DIN EN ISO 9001

    Donges receives its first certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001 (quality management).

  • 125 years of Donges

    In the 125th year of existence, Donges invests in the new Production Facility 1 (250x26x15 m, 126 t max. unit weight) at its Darmstadt plant, including a new reception gate, outdoor installations and new machinery.

     

    1997

  • 1999

     

    Cross platform of Darmstadt’s central railway station

    Extension of Darmstadt’s historic railway station with a structure built over 6 switching tracks and a road connecting to the city’s “West Side”. Shops and restaurants are integrated on 2 levels. Donges receives an order for the structural engineering, design, fabrication and assembly  of the steel construction for the new Railway Gallery.

  • European Steel Design Award

    Donges receives the European Steel Design Award for the shipbuilding assembly hall at the Volkswerft shipyard in Stralsund.

     

    1999

  • 2000

     

    Main terminal complex, Concourse B, Düsseldorf Airport

    Donges plans, manufactures and installs the roof structure (2,200 t) with its distinctive curved triangular trusses and V-supports made of conical tubes.

  • "Schwarzatal" motorway viaduct

    Donges builds the “Schwarzatal” viaduct along a section of Autobahn 71, a 9-span steel composite viaduct 675 m long, thus far the largest bridge in the company’s history.

     

    2001

  • 2001

     

    A380 sectional assembly building, AIRBUS Germany Hamburg-Finkenwerder

    Within the scope of the plant expansion at “Mühlenberger Loch”, in the first construction phase, the sectional assembly building for the production of the fuselage sections (center and tail section) of the Airbus A380. Donges is commissioned to build the steel structure, roof and facade work.

  • Dornheimerweg Bridge

    Donges is awarded the contract for the modernization and restoration of the Darmstadt’s Dornheimerweg Bridge built by Donges in 1910. Work completed in 2004.

     

    2002

  • 2003

     

    Stadium roofing in Al-Sadd Sports Club, Doha, Qatar

    Donges builds the roof of the first major soccer stadium in Qatar. Donges assembles the 2,600 t steel construction for the pylons, cables, roof trusses and purlins in Doha. Four steel pylons 45 m high make an architectural statement in this futuristic new stadium.

  • Multi-level parking complex at Stuttgart’s Neue Messe exhibition center

    The parking complex is divided into two ground-level “fingers” extending roughly
    100 m in a free span above the Autobahn and the ICE high-speed rail line.

     

    2004

  • 2005

     

    Central Station "Lehrter Bahnhof" Berlin

    Planning and spectacular assembly of the arched structures at the new Central Station in Berlin.

  • Rhine Bridge in Wesel

    Donges receives an order for the Rhine bridge in Wesel. The main span of this cable-stayed bridge is 335 meters long and is supported via six cable bundles by a 130-meter-high pylon.

     

    2005

  • 2006

     

    Thermal power plants

    Donges begins with the engineering, fabrication and assembly of steel structures for thermal power plants.

  • Major order for the Neurath lignite-fired power plant

    Major order for the 2,200 MW Neurath lignite-fired power plant, 78,500 t steel structure; implemented by the Neurath ARGE consortium

     

    2006

  • 2006

     

    Engineering Award

    Donges receives the Engineering Award for assembly of the arched structures at the new Central Station in Berlin.

  • Jet turbine test stand, Leipzig Airport

    Construction of a jet turbine test stand for all aircraft classes, including Airbus A380, McDonald Douglas MD 11 and Antonov AN 124

     

    2007

  • 2007

     

    Inauguration of the new Donges production hall 5

    The new production hall 5 (235 x 41 x 20 m) is commissioned after only 11 months of construction. The heaviest component weighs 160 t. The equipment includes 1,000 t pedestal bearings, two milling units and a shot-blasting shed.

  • European Steel Design Award

    Donges receives the European Steel Design Award for the parking complex at Stuttgart’s Neue Messe exhibition center

     

    2007

  • 2007

     

    TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Soccer Stadium

    A steel construction clad with transparent membranes forms the roof of the arena, which “appears to float almost weightlessly above the building like a cloud” (to quote agn Managing Director Paul Niederberghaus).

  • Hitachi Power Europe GmbH

    The new Donges SteelTec GmbH becomes a subsidiary of the Duisburg-based plant engineering firm Hitachi Power Europe GmbH (HPE) and thus part of the Hitachi Group with a global presence.

     

    2008

  • 2009

     

    800 MW Wilhelmshaven coal-fired power plant

    In addition to the 14,000 t steel structure, Donges also delivers and assembles the facade at heights of up to 110 m.

  • 1,100 MW coal-fired power plant in Maasvlakte, Netherlands

    1,100 MW coal-fired power plant in Maasvlakte, Netherlands

     

    2009

  • 2009

     

    Windelbachtal A45 motorway viaduct

    The 54 m long steel girders weighing approx. 105 t are delivered via the motorway and installed using heavy-duty railcars (a solution patented by Donges SteelTec). After production of the 307 m long steel girders, they are cross-fed into their final position.

  • 800 MW coal-fired power plant in Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Contract for project management, design, fabrication, including corrosion protection and assembly of steel structures for the 110 m high boiler support structure and boiler house, air preheater and bunker supports, coal bunker and boiler bandages. Total weight of the steel structure: 14,000 t.

     

    2010

  • 2010

     

    Elbe Bridge at Schönebeck - Best Bridge of the Year 2014 worldwide

    2010 to 2013 new construction of the Schönebeck cable-stayed composite bridge during construction of the B246a, Schönebeck bypass over the Elbe. One year after commissioning, the Elbe bridge at Schönebeck is awarded the title of “Best Bridge of the Year 2014 worldwide” by the “Institution of Structural Engineers” in London.

  • Honsell Bridge in Frankfurt

    For reasons of monument preservation, a new arched construction is prescribed above the existing crescent-shaped trussed arches. Arched bridge in composite construction with an orthotropic slab in the pavement area, taking into account the existing structure.

     

    2011

  • 2013

     

    CFL Railway Maintenance Center, Luxembourg

    Donges installs the roofing and the facades, along with the steel structure, produced in a consortium, for the central new construction of a three-section facility with adjacent buildings for Luxembourg’s railway.

  • Lützelbach A45 motorway viaduct

    Donges builds another vast viaduct on the A45 motorway near Dillenburg-Niederscheid. The major sections are delivered from the plant in Darmstadt via the A45 by heavy-duty vehicles. The superstructures are installed using the timed shifting method.

     

    2013

  • 2014

     

    Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Group

    Donges SteelTec becomes a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Group.

  • Heppenheim Biogas Plant

    New construction of a biogas plant to generate electricity from biowaste. Donges supplies and installs the steel structure, the facade and the roof.

     

    2014

  • 2014

     

    Donges SteelTec receives the DSTV (German Steel Construction Association) seal of approval

  • Münchholzhausen A45 motorway viaduct

    Replacement of the 13-span steel composite Münchholzhausen deck bridge in Wetzlar. The bridge structure is constructed in two separate superstructures, each designed as a girder grid with two twinned pairs of (I-profiles) with pillar crossbeams in the shape of I-profiles.

     

    2014

  • 2015

     

    Petersdorf Bridge near Malchow

    With the new construction of the bridge over Lake Petersdorf, a traffic bottleneck on the A19 motorway along the way to the Baltic Sea beaches will be resolved by 2020.

  • Start of construction of the 635 m long Heidingsfeld viaduct on the A3 motorway near Würzburg

    In June comes the first challenging shift with a 120 m free cantilever arm. Among steel composite bridges constructed in recent years in Germany using the timed shifting method, the Heidingsfeld viaduct is the absolute frontrunner in terms of its span width and cantilever arm when moving the bridge into position.

     

    2015

  • 2016

     

    ARIANE 6 Launch System

    Signed contract with MT Mechatronics in Paris for the implementation of steel structures of the launch facility for the future ARIANE 6 European launch vehicle.

  • Dorlar A45 motorway viaduct

    Donges manufactures and assembles the steel structure of this 12-span steel composite bridge.

     

    2016

  • 2017

     

    Mutares AG

    Donges SteelTec becomes part of the Mutares Group, Munich, Germany

  • Ptolemais Power Plant, Greece

    Spectacular truck transport of the bases (288 t) for the power plant Ptolemais, Greece to the Gernsheim harbor.

     

    2017

  • 2018

     

    Project launch of the A7 Voest viaduct in Linz, Austria

    Donges SteelTec builds the two Danube bridges to the left and right of the existing bridge and the two bike path bridges in the foreland area (total tonnage 7,700 t)

  • Merck Stadion, Darmstadt

    Donges SteelTec manufactures, supplies and assembles the steel roof construction for the new back straight in the Merck Stadium, Darmstadt.

     

    2019

  • 2020

     

    Thulba viaduct

    Donges SteelTec receives the order for the 7-span steel composite bridge Thulba, motorway bridge of the A7 between Würzburg and Fulda in the section AS Bad Kissingen/Oberthulba.

  • Official sponsor of SV Darmstadt 1898 e.V.

    Donges SteelTec becomes official sponsor of the “Lilien”, the football team of SV Darmstadt 1898 e.V.

     

    2020

  • 2020

     

    Contract awarded for the new PTS Station

    Contract awarded by Fraport for the construction of the new PTS station (Passenger Transport System) at Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport

  • Hot-dip galvanising hall 3 Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH

    Donges SteelTec manufactures, supplies and assembles the complete steel structure of the 270 m long and 45 m high process hall for hot-dip galvanising, including crane runways, roof, façade, SHEVS, ventilation louvres, doors and gates.

     

    2021

  • 2021

     

    Foot and cycle path bridge over the Rheinstraße in Darmstadt

    With the 318 m long and 3 m wide red bridge over the Rheinstraße, Donges SteelTec once again sets an urban accent in Darmstadt.

  • Irene Tower on the Tromm i. Odw.

    The futuristic steel tower is a central component of the Bergstrasse-Odenwald UNESCO Geopark.

     

    2022

  • 2022

     

    Jauntal Bridge, Austria

    Donges SteelTec manufactures, supplies and assembles the complete steel structure of the 428 m long and 96 m high viaduct for the Austrian Federal Railway.

  • Bar arch bridge Frankfurt - Regionaltangente West (RTW)

    RTW GmbH commissions Donges SteelTec with the construction of the new bar arch bridge at the Gleisdreieck at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt am Main.

     

    2022

  • 2022

     

    Salzgitter refractory hall

    Major order from Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH for the new construction of the 63 metre high refractory hall and the directly adjacent delivery hall for the production of ‘green’ steel.

  • Ahrtal railway

    Donges SteelTec contributes to the reconstruction of the Ahrtal railway after the flood disaster in 2021 with the production and assembly of 9 steel trough bridges.

     

    2023

  • 2024

     

    Bridge Mainflingen across the river Main

    The old Main bridge in Mainflingen is being replaced by an elegant bridge with a bridle chord structure. The slender steel composite construction and the low overall height of the bridging structure ensure that the replacement structure blends harmoniously into the varied river landscape.

  • Cologne-Müngersdorf cycling centre

    Donges SteelTec is commissioned with the manufacture, delivery and erection of the 2000 tonne self-supporting steel structure for the roof of the cycling centre in Cologne-Müngersdorf.

     

    2024

  • 2025

     

    Sustainability certification by EcoVadis

    Our commitment to sustainable and responsible business practices has been recognized with the EcoVadis Bronze Medal.

    This award highlights our continuous progress in the areas of environment, ethics, and labor and human rights.