A long-term success story Beltrame Group

A LONG-TERM SUCCESS STORY

The Italian Beltrame Group has been operating in the steel industry for over a century, producing rolled sections used in construction, shipyards and excavators. Laura Travierso talks to CEO Riccardo Garrè to find out more.

Beltrame’s production facilities, which have a capacity of approximately 3.2 million tonnes, include four electric furnaces and 10 rolling mills. These are scattered in seven plants located in Italy, France, Switzerland and Romania. Their geographical distribution is very advantageous, taking into account the areas where the products are sold and where raw materials are purchased. The group has a commercial presence in all European markets as well as in the Mediterranean region through JVs, shares in local companies, agents or its internal sales force. All employees, amounting to approximately 2300 people, are strongly committed and motivated to satisfy its customers’ needs through constant improvements in production, organisation and level of service.

“The company has been caught, as have all of its competitors, in the middle of the European crisis which has produced particularly negative effects on a sector plagued by a material excess of capacity,” said CEO Riccardo Garrè. “The management’s answer has been twofold. On one hand, the company has opted for enhancing the commercial proposition, by focusing its supply efforts on the most sophisticated side of industry. By leveraging its know-how and its knowledge of the industry, the company has been able to offer a more value added, hi-tech range of products. Also, Beltrame has decided to increase its supply of complementary services to its customer base in order to meet their growing needs and to preserve the strength of its commercial relationships.

“On the other hand, in order to strengthen its competitive profile, the company has rationalised its production structure and its cost base. This was achieved through cutting staff costs and through the adoption of more energy efficient means of production.” Also, with the aim of optimising raw material efficiency, the company is supplying its factories with 100 per cent cheap iron scrap.

The group has become number one in its sector in Italy and a leader in the European market thanks to continuous innovation and the centuries-old culture of productivity and quality. These characteristics have brought the group to make strategic choices aimed at constantly achieving key objectives: high-quality products, environmental sustainability, the safety of its workforce and energy savings.

The green steel

In line with the principle of sustainable development, the Vicenza plant has a system for the production of inert industrial aggregate made from slag resulting from the melting process in the electric arc furnace (EAF).

The controlled production of slag, from the moment of its generation in the EAF to the processes that it undergoes in subsequent phases, aims to obtain an industrial aggregate with physical, chemical and geotechnical properties equivalent to those of the best natural aggregates such as quarry basalt.

The BELTRECO aggregate is used in infrastructure construction and civil engineering, and more specifically in the foundations and embankments for roads and railways.

The use of this product yields the double benefit of reducing the exploitation of finite natural resources, as well as lowering the amount of waste. The inert BELTRECO aggregate (available in 0/40 and 0/90 ratios)

is produced according to the technical specification EN 13242:2002, and is compliant with the 2+ certification system envisioned by EU Directive 89/106/EEC. The 2+ certification system requires the analysis of initial type tests (ITTs), the implementation of a production control system, and the presence of a Notified Certification Body. The latter is responsible for an initial visit to the plant and yearly monitoring, as well as the verification and certification of the production management system. Protecting the future

In order to support the principles laid out in its Quality, Health and Safety, and the Environment (QHSE) policy, all production plants have adopted an Integrated Management System. The management system has the goal of simplifying the process of identifying, tracking and evaluating results related to QHSE in order to guide the continuous improvement process.

“In the most recent past,” explained Mr Garrè, “the company has been able to once again increase its range of products dedicated to its customer base. This is a less standardised, more tailor-made offer thanks to a renewed stream of investments which have allowed us to offer a most sophisticated mix of solutions. The new strategy has allowed the Beltrame group to maintain its leading position.”

In 2014 Beltrame Group obtained the Environmental Product Declaration, EPD®, related to the hot-rolled steel profiles and merchant bars manufactured in Vicenza (Italy) and Trith Saint Lèger (France). n