He obtained coal and coke supplies from the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG mine, where his brother Emil worked as the director of sales.

After the First World War, with the subsequent collapse of the commodities market, the breakdown of mills and mines in the Lorraine, the exit of Luxembourg from the German Customs Union, and the loss of markets in eastern Germany resulting from Allied occupation of the Rhineland, Kirdof was pressured to sell the Aachen-based company to the French-Belgium-Luxembourger consortium Société Métallurgique des Terres Rouges, operating under the leadership of the Luxembourger steel concern ARBED.

After its takeover by Continental AG, the headquarters were moved to Hanover, but a production plant for tires remained in Rothe Erde.

The German division of Philips established an incandescent light and glass factory there, having taken over picture tube production in the area in 1954.

Beginning around the turn of the century, and after Philips underwent changes to its operation, the industrial park Rothe Erde began to be used by a multitude of diverse businesses.

Prior to this, there had existed a small chapel at the Kleine Rothe Erde estate since 1731, which was consecrated in 1735 at the behest of the auxiliary bishop in Cologne.