Vesuvius
Vesuvius plc is a London-headquartered engineered ceramics company that designs, manufactures and services molten metal flow engineering and refractory products primarily for the global steel and foundry industries, operating 55 production and sales sites across six continents with 11,000+ employees.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1916
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Vesuvius does
Vesuvius plc is a London-headquartered engineered ceramics company that designs, manufactures and services molten metal flow engineering and high-performance refractory products primarily for the global steel and foundry industries. The company operates through two divisions: Steel (comprising Steel Flow Control — slide gate systems, isostatically pressed products and the XMAT 'expert eye' mould instrument; Advanced Refractories — monolithics, pre-cast shapes and bricks for blast furnaces, ladles and tundishes; and Technical/Digital Services) and Foundry (trading as Foseco, supplying consumables such as feeding systems, filters, crucibles and coatings to iron, aluminium and solar-crucible customers). Underpinning the portfolio is a century of process know-how, with 1,570 granted patents and 150+ patent families protecting technologies such as VISO isostatic pressing and ROTOLOK flow control, supported by 17 R&D centres globally and approximately £33.2 million of annual R&D spend.
Vesuvius monetises predominantly through one-time sales of customised engineered consumables and capital products, with pricing conducted on a quote basis via an enterprise field-sales model. Roughly 3,000 of its 11,000+ employees are embedded at customer sites to apply products and provide technical services, which deeply couples Vesuvius into customer operating workflows. The Steel Division accounts for the majority of group revenue (with Foundry/Foseco contributing ~30%) and the new Digital Services business is positioned to layer data-driven expert process management on top of the refractory product base, while R&D investment supports a 20.5% new product sales ratio and 24 new products launched in 2025. The company operates 55 production and sales sites on six continents, selling into more than 100 countries from a 38-country operating footprint, and runs a regional manufacturing model in which products are typically produced on the same continent as the customer.
Vesuvius firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vesuvius
- Legal name
- Vesuvius plc
- Website
- https://vesuvius.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1916
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Vesuvius plc is a London-headquartered engineered ceramics company that designs, manufactures and services molten metal flow engineering and refractory products primarily for the global steel and foundry industries, operating 55 production and sales sites across six continents with 11,000+ employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vesuvius industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Refractories and Engineered Ceramics
- NAICS
- Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (32712)
- SIC
- Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refractory & Metallurgical Consumables Distribution (Fluxes, electrodes, refractories) (IMAKAJAM)
Keywords
Where Vesuvius is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices16 records
Markets served
Vesuvius business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Steel Division Products and Services: Flow Control products and systems used extensively in continuous casting process, Advanced Refractories for lining vessels, Technical Services for process monitoring and optimization. Comprises majority of total Group revenue.
- Foundry Division (Foseco Brand): Consumable products and associated services to the foundry industry under Foseco brand. Generates about 30% of total Group revenue.
- Digital Services: Newly established business focusing on capture of key manufacturing data, combining with refractory expertise to create new technologies and expert process management systems.
- New Product Sales: 20.5% new product sales ratio in 2025, indicating significant ongoing innovation revenue stream.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Vesuvius product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vesuvius manufactures and sells engineered ceramics, refractory products, and flow control systems for steel, foundry, aluminium, and industrial process industries operating under high-temperature conditions. The Steel Division supplies steel flow control products for continuous casting, advanced refractories for lining blast furnaces, ladles and tundishes, and a technical/digital services business focused on process monitoring and optimization. The Foundry Division trades under the Foseco brand, supplying consumable products and associated services to foundries serving automotive, heavy truck, and industrial casting customers worldwide.
Product overview
Vesuvius is a global leader in molten metal flow engineering offering a comprehensive portfolio of products, solutions and services primarily serving the steel and foundry industries. The company operates through two main divisions: Steel (comprising Steel Flow Control, Advanced Refractories, and Technical/Digital Services) and Foundry (trading as Foseco). Key products include flow control systems for continuous casting, high-performance refractory linings, and specialized foundry consumables. The company also offers advanced monitoring technologies including the XMAT concept for continuous casting optimization and Process Metrix laser scanning systems. With operations across six continents, Vesuvius combines product sales with extensive on-site technical support services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Foseco: World-renowned brand for reliability, technology and service in the supply of consumable products and associated services to the foundry industry. Generates about 30% of total Group revenue.
- VISO
- LAVAGARD
- ROTOLOK
- FEEDEX
- XMAT
Products and services
- Steel Flow Control Flow control products and systems used extensively in the continuous casting process, enabling steel to be cast without interruption while protecting it from atmospheric contamination. Includes sub-meniscus measurement devices such as the XMAT concept and slide gate systems.
- Advanced Refractories High performance refractory materials for lining vessels such as blast furnaces, ladles and tundishes to withstand high temperatures and corrosive attack, supplied as powder mixes (monolithics), pre-cast shapes and bricks.
- Technical Services / Digital Services Newly established Digital Services business that complements product lines by capturing key manufacturing data and combining it with Vesuvius' refractory expertise to create new technologies and develop integrated expert process management systems for customers.
- Foundry Products (Foseco Brand) World-renowned Foseco brand supplying consumable products and associated services to the foundry industry, including feeding systems, filters (SEDEX, STELEX ZR), exothermic sleeves (Feedex), and coatings, generating about 30% of total Group revenue.
- Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) Solutions Comprehensive solutions for basic oxygen furnace steelmaking operations including linings, taphole systems, bath agitation and tuyere systems, metallurgical sensors, and BOF maintenance.
Quantifiable outcome
- 31.4% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2e emission intensity per metric tonne of product (vs 2019)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Vesuvius
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Vesuvius technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
Vesuvius partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PiroMET (PiroMetalurji Malzeme Refrakter Makina Imalat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.)coreTurkey-based refractory technology company acquired by Vesuvius in February 2025 to expand refractory technologies. Located in Dilovasi, Kocaeli, Türkiye. Part of Vesuvius Istanbul operations for manufacturing advanced refractory products.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Vesuvius competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Imerys: Large French specialty minerals group with broader portfolio spanning performance minerals, additives, and formerly refractories; competes indirectly through raw material inputs and overlapping end-market customers.
- Morgan Advanced Materials: UK-listed advanced ceramics company serving similar high-temperature and industrial process end-markets; overlaps with Vesuvius in technical ceramics and thermal applications though with a different product mix.
- Saint-Gobain: Diversified French materials giant with refractory offerings as part of a much broader industrial and building products portfolio; overlapping capabilities in high-temperature ceramic solutions but not core-focused.
Direct peers
- RHI Magnesita: World's largest refractory manufacturer with a directly overlapping product portfolio across steel flow control, refractories, and foundry consumables, competing head-to-head with Vesuvius/Foseco across both divisions.
- HarbisonWalker International (HWI): US-headquartered refractory producer serving iron and steel, non-ferrous, glass, and industrial process customers with a directly comparable product line to Vesuvius's steel and industrial refractories.
- Allied Mineral Products: Privately held US refractory manufacturer offering monolithic and precast products to steel, iron, non-ferrous, and industrial customers with similar application engineering depth as Vesuvius.
- Krosaki Harima Corporation: Major Japanese refractory maker supplying steel and industrial customers in Asia with monolithics, bricks, and flow control; directly competes with Vesuvius in Asia-Pacific steel markets.
- Calderys: Spun-off refractory business (formerly Imerys Refractories) serving steel, foundry, aluminium, cement, and glass end-markets with monolithics, bricks, and flow control products directly competing with Vesuvius.
- Pyrotek: Global supplier of consumables, filtration, and engineered equipment for non-ferrous and ferrous foundries, directly overlapping with Vesuvius's Foseco foundry consumables and filtration product lines.
Emerging players
- CoorsTek: US-headquartered engineered ceramics manufacturer with growing presence in industrial and high-temperature applications; partial product overlap with Vesuvius in advanced ceramics and aluminium casting coatings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vesuvius social profiles
Digital presenceVesuvius compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Vesuvius financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vesuvius leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Vesuvius subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
Vesuvius funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vesuvius M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A13 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vesuvius
What does Vesuvius do?
Vesuvius manufactures and sells engineered ceramics, refractory products, and flow control systems for steel, foundry, aluminium, and industrial process industries operating under high-temperature conditions. The Steel Division supplies steel flow control products for continuous casting, advanced refractories for lining blast furnaces, ladles and tundishes, and a technical/digital services business focused on process monitoring and optimization. The Foundry Division trades under the Foseco brand, supplying consumable products and associated services to foundries serving automotive, heavy truck, and industrial casting customers worldwide.
Is Vesuvius a public or private company?
Vesuvius is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Vesuvius founded?
Vesuvius was founded in 1916. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Vesuvius based?
Vesuvius is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Vesuvius make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Steel Division Products and Services are the primary driver. The others are foundry Division (Foseco Brand), digital Services and new Product Sales.
Who are Vesuvius's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Imerys, Morgan Advanced Materials and Saint-Gobain. Direct peers are RHI Magnesita, HarbisonWalker International (HWI), Allied Mineral Products, Krosaki Harima Corporation, Calderys and Pyrotek. CoorsTek is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vesuvius have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vesuvius.
What industry is Vesuvius in?
Vesuvius's product category is Industrial Refractories and Engineered Ceramics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAJAM, Refractory & Metallurgical Consumables Distribution (Fluxes, electrodes, refractories). Its NAICS code is 32712 and its SIC code is 3567.