SUSTAINABLE GROWTH The Feralpi Group is a major player in the Italian iron and steel industry. Isabella Manfredi, the company’s communications director, discusses its developments over the past few years, stressing the importance of factors such as production process optimisation, energy saving, emission reductions and product innovation. Barbara Rossi reports.
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he growth achieved by the Feralpi Group over the past 10 years has developed along three paths: the first is in terms of size; the second is in terms of quality; and the third is linked to the everincreasing closeness between the iron and steel manufacturing activity and sustainable development standards. Iron and steel manufacturing experienced a golden period between 2004 and the end of 2008. During those years the iron and steel industry changed radically, owing to aggregation and acquisition processes resulting in the creation of real giants. The Feralpi Group’s main production output consists of rebar, wire rod and electro-welded mesh. In addition to these it also manufactures cold roll reinforced steel, lattice girders and spacer bars. Over the past few years it has grown a lot owing to its efforts to manufacture large
volumes suitable for several markets. For this reason, over the years it has established plants in Germany such as ESF (Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi GmbH) and EDF (Elbe-Drahtwerke Feralpi GmbH), in the Czech Republic and in Romania where it has added to the already existing Lonato del Garda and Acciaierie di Calvisano facilities. In Italy the group also owns other companies such as Dieffe, which carries out cold processing, and Nuova Defim, which specialises in the manufacture of electrowelded mesh for construction, industrial fences and professional, industrial and civil railings.
Technological innovation and sustainability Technological development and the maximisation of production efficiency are two musts for an iron and steel company – particularly in a country which doesn’t offer effective
support to increase the competitiveness of its industrial players. For this reason, Feralpi has made large investments in technologies in order to optimise its production processes and to reduce raw material consumption to a minimum. Energy is one of the main costs for the company as so much is used in the production of iron and steel, which is why so much time and resources have been spent on this issue. The Feralpi Group has been evaluating its environmental activities for years and periodically produces a sustainability balance sheet to measure its achievements in this area, as well as to help it map out a path for future advancements. At the beginning of 2011 the group opened a new foundry furnace and photovoltaic system at the Lonato del Garda site, which will aid its mission to reduce produc-
