Made of steel Alfa Acciai

MADE OF STEEL

Spurred on by a history and philosophy dedicated to advancement, Alfa Acciai SpA has been producing steel for the construction industry for over fifty years. Ross Davies reports on the group’s recipe for success.

Since the late 1980s, Alfa Acciai has essentially utilised a four-pronged attack to successfully tackle increasing market demands. Through acquisitions, the umbrella group of Alfa Acciai also houses Alfa Derivati, one of Italy’s foremost manufacturers of bespoke welded mesh and girders; Ferroberica, a market leader in pre-shaping, laying and assembly of steel for reinforced concrete; and Acciaierie di Sicilia, which operates a state-of-the-art mill, complete with an arc melting furnace, to directly serve the Southern Italian market.

Ductility

Since last speaking to Industry Europe in 2005, Alfa Acciai has stuck to its objective of expansion with regards to both its workforce and market coverage. The group has increased its shop floor personnel to 1180 employees spread across its four companies located in Brescia, Catania, Parma and Vicenza. Through a diligent work ethic, Alfa Acciai has also cemented its position as a market leader on the world stage. Assisted by a first-rate sales network, it now has product certification in Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Outside of the Continent, the group also supplies markets in Israel, the USA, China and the Gulf.

Having developed a high-ductility steel for use in reinforced concrete, Alfa Acciai has also been able to tap into the niche, but lucrative, market of steel production for buildings found in earthquake-prone areas. Particularly

DANIELI AUTOMATION

Section control systems for rolling mills have been a specific target of development because of their cost and impact on product quality. Danieli Automation has supplied to Alfa Acciai new eddy-current based sensors for the measurement of the rolled stock section, called HiSECTION. This sensors can provide monitoring of section and the balancing of bars in slit rolling. The results are reduction of cobbles, reduction of wear of roller guides, continuous section control and roll wear compensation. Additionally the weight per meter of the bars is continuously monitored.

With the target of cut to length optimization DANIELI AUTOMATION has also supplied to Alfa Acciai the SM3100 Infrared Speed meter to accurately measure the speed of hot rolled bars. Thanks to the SM-3100 principle of operation, this device can detect the speed of small size rolled stock even in presence of vibrations.

pertinent to its home market of Italy – geographically prone to seismic disturbances – Alfa Acciai’s continuous efforts in this field led to the formation of SISMIC in 2004, an association of Italian manufacturers of seismic steel for reinforced concrete. Due to rigorous research, the advent of SISMIC-certified steel, able to withstand earthquakes of up to Grade 8 on the Mercalli Scale for protracted periods of time, became available to the markets in December 2006.

Led by research

Alfa Acciai’s product range is impressive. Already manufacturing hot-rolled steels and cold-rolled wires for reinforcement, in 2008, the High Council for Public Works also issued Alfa Acciai and Acciaierie di Sicilia with its approval for the group to begin producing hot-rolled B450C steel. Placing great emphasis on research and development, the group has been able to expand its product range very efficiently. As well as its central office in Brescia, Alfa Acciai has three additional laboratories allocated to the steelworks, hot-rolling division and cold-rolling department, respectively. This network allows for a direct exchange between control and production staff so as to facilitate the production process. In addition to this, the group collaborates with universities in its quest to produce high-quality steel for the construction industry. Focusing on its unique selling point of producing high-ductility steel for earthquake-prone buildings, Alfa Acciai places particularly high value on its alliance with the University of Brescia.

In its efforts to meet the needs of its customers, Alfa Acciai adheres to a strict quality policy. The group has made constant improvements and amendments to its processes and production plants, using in-house technological know-how in the electromechanical and steel industries. Alfa Acciai’s policy of absolute transparency has also seen it obtain a number of certifications since first becoming ISO 9001 accredited back in 1989. Furthermore, in 2005, the group was awarded the “First

Certification Seniority Certificate” by SINCERT, whilst it also is an active member of UNISIDER, the Italian metallurgical standardisation body.

Continuous upgrades

Such commitments also extend to a clear-cut responsibility to sustaining the environment. As a member of ASSIA, an agency designed to support and promote organisational and managerial development in the steel industry, Alfa Acciai is also ISO 14001 accredited, pertaining to environmental responsibility. Once again utilising high technology, the group has shown dedication in tackling essential issues including waste management, noise abatement, off-gas uptake and removal, radiation protection and the protection of soil, subsoil and water. In recent years, Alfa Acciai has also invested heavily in remaining as environmentally friendly as possible, including the upgrade of its furnace 1 off-gas system and enlargement of the extraction hood of its furnace 2 off-gas suction system in 2007.

Despite the impact of the recent economic crisis, Alfa Acciai has continued to maintain its investment policy. It has recently implemented an investment plan aimed at increasing the production volume at its Acciaierie di Sicilia plant. Having invested approximately €20 million in the construction of a new filter and exhaust system, and a further €8 million set to be spent in upgrading its casting line and scrapyards, Alfa Acciai looks set to remain a benchmark company in the steel industry, both at home and abroad. n