GLOBAL STEEL GIANT Ruukki is a market leader in the design and manufacture of energy-efficient steel construction products for a broad range of industrial applications. Industry Europe takes a look at the company and how it continues to set new standards in quality and energy efficiency.
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nitially known as Rautaruukki, the company was founded in Finland in 1960 by the Finnish government in association with a number of leading Finnish industrials. The reason behind this cooperative venture was to ensure the availability of raw materials for the Finnish shipbuilding industry as well as for other steel-dependent industries. With its early commitment to quality and innovation, Ruukki was the first company in the western countries to produce steel using the costefficient ‘continuous casting’ method. The success that the company enjoyed as a result of this innovation was exceptional and by the end of the 1970s it was employing more than 7000 people. By the 1990s,
following major investments in new plant and technology, the company expanded into the construction business and at the same time acquired a leading Finnish steel roof manufacturer: Rannila. In 2004 the company’s steel business began to focus on the manufacture of special steel products to meet the demands of the world’s most challenging construction and engineering projects. In October 2012 another milestone was reached with the creation of ‘Fortaco’ in association with ‘CapMan’ managed funds, which has become Europe’s leading manufacturing partner for the engineering industry. Industry Europe 69
