It was initially a consultancy business whose main focus was to purchase machinery and build small machines for local craftsmen.

Within a few years the firm, called “Technical Bureau” at the time, specialised in machinery for the brick and tile industry.

In 1954, FLSmidth inaugurated its head office in Vigerslev Alle in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby, becoming an iconic part of the city landscape with its highly praised red-brick buildings.

FLS Miljø developed a process with Supercritical carbon dioxide to dissolve and carry organic wood preservative into timber, an alternative to polluting Chromated copper arsenate (CCA).

These acquisitions gave FLSmidth a know-how in design and supply of major bulk material handling systems for cement, mining, heavy industrial facilities and bagging equipment worldwide.

The year 2011 saw FLSmidth acquiring some major minerals and cement companies like ESSA Australia Limited on 17 February 2011,[19] Phillips Kiln Service Ltd on 18 August 2011[20] and Transweigh India Ltd on 20 October 2011.

[21] On 3 July 2012, FLSmidth completed the acquisition of the Australian engineering and equipment supply company Ludowici Limited,[22] a provider of coal centrifuges, vibrating screens and complementary wear resistant products and services for the minerals industries.

[25] In line with its heightened focus on core businesses areas such as cement and minerals, FLSmidth divested the capital sales of lime kilns and recausticizing equipment for use in white liquor plants in the pulp and paper industry.