A strong partnership Feralpi Group

A STRONG PARTNERSHIP

The Feralpi Group, one of the leading iron and steel producers in Europe, has recently widened its commercial offer thanks to the acquisition of the Caleotto rolling mill in partnership with Duferco. Barbara Rossi reports.

The main business of the group – which is headquartered in Lonato del Garda, on the south-west shore of lake Garda in northern Italy – is the production of construction steel, mainly reinforced steel in bars and wire rod as well as electro-welded mesh. It is also active in cold work steel, metal carpentry, environment and fishing, as well as financial activities and investment management. This diversified organisation operates on an international scale and employs over 1300 permanent staff across Italy, Europe and Algeria. It has been present in Germany since 1992 and today also operates in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania, where other production facilities are located, as well as in the previously mentioned Algeria. Here the group has been active since 2013, thanks to the acquisition of Feralpi Algerie, which was incorporated in order to better oversee the fast-growing market in steel consumption, both in Algeria and, more generally, throughout North Africa.

The Feralpi Group’s steel output is in the region of two million tonnes per year. Steel is produced at the steelworks located in Italy (in Lonato del Garda and Calvisano, in the Brescia area) and Germany (in Riesa, Saxony). The group’s mission is to produce the best steel for the construction industry in the most sustainable way possible; in other words, reducing fuel consumption and emissions by the use of the best available technology, or by patenting new technologies thanks to an intense internal process of innovation and research.

Feralpi uses scrap iron melted in electricarc furnaces to make steel billets, the intermediate product used by the group mainly for the production of steel for construction purposes. Since 2014, its production has also included special steels. The product range is extensive and includes lattice girders, spacer bars and shaped elements.

Group structure

The main company within the group is Feralpi Siderurgica, but two other important Italian-based operations are Acciaierie di Calvisano and Nuova DE.F.IM. Acciaierie di Calvisano mainly produces common, quality and special steel billets. Nuova DE.F.IM specialises in making electro-welded mesh for buildings, and fencing and gates for professional, industrial and private use.

As mentioned above, since the 1990s the group has been undergoing a process of internationalisation and investing in areas with a strong steel-making tradition. This has led to the establishment of the Feralpi Stahl brand, which today comprises the European leaders ESF Elbe–Stahlwerke Feralpi GmbH and EDF Elbe-Drahtwerke Feralpi GmbH in Germany, Feralpi Praha sro in the Czech Republic, and Feralpi Hungaria KFT in Hungary; plus the trading company Feralpi Stahlhandel GmbH and the shipping company Feralpi Logistik GmbH. Moreover, Feralpi also includes S.C. Beta SA, which is located 110 kilometres north-east of Bucharest, Romania and whose core activity is the production of machines and equipment for the chemical and petrochemical industries, refineries, cement works and metal working factories.

Recently the Feralpi Group has drafted a partnership agreement with Duferco for the acquisition of the Caleotto rolling mill, formerly part of the Lucchini group, and situated near Lecco, northern Italy. Caleotto and Duferco already work in partnership in the MediaSteel company, which commercialises iron scrap. Now the two companies also have a production partnership. Thanks to this enterprise, Duferco and Feralpi intend to develop other possible synergies for some products, both for improving the internal production cycle and for implementing other possible future acquisitions. At the Caleotto plant the two companies will roll steel billets manufactured by the two groups in the San Zeno Naviglio and Calvisano steel plants respectively. These two facilities are both based in the Brescia area. Thanks to

ACQUATEC,, strengthened by its staff professionalism, is able to offer its clients a complete and tailored service for water cycle integral management, from drilling and lifting to treatment and distribution, as well as offering advice on customised system design together with a punctual and effi cient maintenance service, which has undergone all the ISO 9001 Quality System verification processes.

In terms of supply of new applications we offer a consultancy and analysis service, research and system configuration and construction.

With regard to existing systems we are able to renovate them guaranteeing, during the replacement of the various components, a perfect interchangeability with the obsolete parts and, in this service, we also include the rebuilding of the existing low and medium voltage transformer rooms according to legislation.

25039 - Travagliato (Brescia) Via Averolda, 25/27 Tel. (030) 662261-2 Fax (030) 662263 www.acquatec.it

this acquisition, Duferco and Feralpi have been able to widen their commercial offer to include special steels.

Another important piece of news is that Feralpi has acquired a 48 per cent share in Presider SpA and Metallurgica Piemontese Lavorazioni, both part of the Turin-based Ferrero Group. Both companies supply and install steel scaffolding for reinforced concrete and all related civil construction products. MPL is also active in steel construction. Geographically speaking, the two companies serve the Italian, French and Swiss markets.

Innovative, safe and responsible

Responsibility, safety and innovation are the three essential elements of the Feralpi Group’s philosophy and success. In line with the motto of the group’s founder, Carlo Pasini – ‘Working and growing through respect for man and his environment’ – each decision is based on the principles of the Feralpi Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility code.

Performance is not only measured in financial terms, but also takes into account the contribution that the group makes to the environment and the communities in which

its businesses operate and of which they are a part. For this reason, for the past 10 years Feralpi has published a bi-annual sustainability report, creating complete transparency and an open dialogue with its numerous stakeholders. Relationships with stakeholders, both internal and external, are regulated by a code of ethics that represents the main reference tool for the development, deployment and management of work, and business ethics within the group. Feralpi is a member of the SOLIDAS foundation and has participated in the CSR and Social Innovation fair.

As discussed, innovation is also extremely important for the group and Feralpi is involved in the area of applied research. Numerous projects have been launched in recent years and all the group companies focus on optimising their production processes. Safety, the environment and energy efficiency are crucial for Feralpi and a focus for the group’s research activities. They are fully integrated with technology, quality and production improvement targets.

As human resources are also central to the success of the group, Feralpi invests a significant amount in general and technical training at all of its sites, with a special emphasis on prevention and safety. The decision to promote in-house rather than external professional development is the result of a precise management policy aimed at staff retention.

In terms of certifications, the group exceeds legal requirements and holds the UNI ED ISO 9001 and UNI EN 14001 standards, alongside the CARES certification for its Quality Management System and the ICM Q ECO Gold 0024 and the OHSAS 18001 certifications. Moreover, its standing is further enhanced by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and the SustSteel certification (Sustainability for Steel Construction Products Mark). In addition to all of this, it has been awarded the Ecogold quality mark, as a recognition of its achievements with regard to quality, occupational health, safety at work and respect for the environment. n