CMI Groupe has changed its name – again.

The company formerly known as John Cockerill is now John Cockerill once more as the business sets about reconnecting with its roots and building its future.

John Cockerill, however, never really left; his entrepreneurial and visionary spirit has lived on ever since the business was founded back in 1817. Even as CMI Groupe, that 'C' stood for Cockerill, as in Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie.

"We are proud of the progress we have made under his name," a spokesperson for the business told Steel Times International. "We have diversified our technologies and geographic markets, and multiplied our workforce and business volume by a factor of four."

The name change was made official today in Belgium at a special gathering of what was CMI Group officials in Belgium, including president Bernard Serin who, of course, is now president of John Cockerill. Mr Serin commented: "In 2017, we celebrated 200 years of industrial adventures. We have reclaimed our history. That of a founder and entrepreneur, pioneer of the industrial revolution on the European continent. That of his successors, who have perpetuated this entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to offer concrete solutions to respond to the needs of their time. By making this story resonate around the world through our employees, customers and partners, it became obvious: CMI was to become John Cockerill again," he said.

Jean-Luc Maurange, CEO of the newly-renamed company said that the new identity illustrated the state of mind that guides the business on a daily basis. "We are constantly taking a fresh look at things and this leads us to extend our offer to new business models that meet our customers' current and future expectations."

Mr Maurange described the newly named business as an 'enabler of opportunities' and said that the company brings 'answers of our time and tailor-made solutions for our customers'.

• In 2018, John Cockerill (formerly CMI Groupe) achieved a turnover of 1.3 billion Euros. The business employs 6,000 people and has operations spread across 23 countries in five continents.