In the privatisation process, the Brunner and Rosai families were awarded the contract by the Berlin Trust. At the beginning of October 1991, the final arrangements are made in Berlin. But it was not until 1 April 1992 that the two years of difficult negotiations came to an end and the Brunner and Rosai families were able to take over Ortrander Eisenhütte GmbH in equal shares as a joint subsidiary.

 

The two managing partners from Lower Bavaria, Ulrich Brunner and Alfred Rosai, have to put down a seven-figure sum for the "prime piece" of the former GDR heavy industry, which had been brought up to the state of the art at a cost of around 2,400,000 marks shortly before the fall of the Wall, and with the takeover they also have to make up for a loss in the business result of 900,000 marks. From the very beginning of the takeover it was clear that Ortrander GmbH would be developed into a powerful ironworks with new furnace developments and as a foundry supplier for all-German and European partner companies.  Ortrand's envisaged monopoly position is based on its relatively central location and its future production range. On the basis of the application for economic development of 14 April, the ironworks' facilities and equipment are modernised in 1993. Its surroundings are also given a friendlier face.

 

The starting signal for another fundamental modernisation of the ironworks is given on 17 July 1998 with the commissioning of the new warehouse. Over the next two and a half years, about DM 40,000,000 will have to be spent to make the Ortrand ironworks a permanently competitive production site. At present, about 40 % of production goes to suppliers of General Motors and Ford.  In a few years, however, the ratio of heating to automotive castings is to be exactly reversed.

 

On 19 August 1999, the shareholders of Ortrander Eisenhütte give the go-ahead for further expansion.  The Brandenburg Minister of Economics, Burkhard Dreher, praises the commitment of the Brunner and Rosai families, as the market adjustment they have carried out will make the ironworks viable again. The state of Brandenburg keeps its promise to support the gigantic project with 50 %. From now until 2001, 33,000,000 EURO will be invested in the site, and by 2002 annual production and turnover will have doubled. The ironworks is increasingly working for suppliers to the automotive industry. 150 jobs are to be created at the Ortrand site as a result. The promising launch of the new Ortrand ironworks will take place on 15 April 2002.