NEW PRODUCTION CAPACITIES TO MEET INCREASED CUSTOMER DEMAND

Ravne na Koroškem, 12 April 2018 - The SIJ Metal Ravne Rolling Mill launched a 4-million Euro steel heat treatment line today. The investment’s most critical part – a 2.8-million Euro continuous annealing furnace – will enable the steel producer in Ravne na Koroškem to increase the production in the Section Rolling Mill by over 10 percent – mostly of that tool steels - and also to release special steel production capacities to meet demands by known, highly demanding buyers from the energy, and gas and oil sectors.

The Rolling Mill of SIJ Metal Ravne, an SIJ Group company, ceremoniously launched a new steel heat treatment line today. The most important part of the 4-million Euro investment is the 2.8-million Euro continuous annealing furnace with a protective atmosphere, made by the renowned producer Ebner. SIJ Ravne Systems, a sister company of SIJ Metal Ravne, was an important partner of the project, since they produced an effective, safe, and ergonomic material charging and discharging transport system.

Andrej Gradišnik, the Managing Director of SIJ Metal Ravne, expressed his satisfaction with the opportunities for the company’s development, brought forth by the successfully implemented investment. “The new Ebner continuous furnace enables the increased output of products in the Section Rolling Mill by over 10 percent, or an increase in overall sales by 5 percent, which will enable SIJ Metal Ravne to meet additional demands by our existing and most demanding clients from the energy, and oil and gas sectors, who require special steels.”

The new Ebner continuous furnace in the Section Rolling Mill is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and enables the heat-treated steels to achieve specific mechanical properties and microstructure. The new furnace will enable SIJ Metal Ravne to increase its annual output, thereby meeting the demands for additional production quantities, which have arisen as a result of implementing a more profitable product mix.

“In the SIJ Group, our success is built on specialisation, producing demanding products with a high added value, producing end products, and achieving synergies between companies within the Group. Since the arrival of the strategically-oriented owners in 2007, we have allocated almost 600 million Euros towards investments into development and technological modernisation,” Tibor Šimonka, a Member of the Management Board of the SIJ Group, pointed out.

The guest of honour, the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, pointed out that technology is the basis of manufacturing. “SIJ Metal Ravne is on the right path, because new investments are the key for the technological competitiveness of companies operating in foreign markets.” The Minister also congratulated the company on successfully implementing the investment cycle and on the upcoming 400th anniversary of steel production in Ravne na Koroškem.

With the investment into the Ebner continuous furnace, SIJ Metal Ravne has brought to a close a 10-year investment cycle into production equipment worth 180 million Euros, which saw the modernisation of the steel mill, heavy forgings shop, and rolling mill. In the next investment cycle stretching to 2028, their focus will be on developing and producing special steels, including super clean steels, and superalloys. This is in keeping with their strategic orientation towards maintaining their position as the third largest producer of tool steels in the EU, and, at the same time, achieving growth in the area of special steels intended for the most demanding clients in niche steel markets.

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The SIJ Group is the largest vertically integrated metallurgical group in Slovenia, occupying with its products leading positions on European and global niche steel markets. Alongside the Metallurgy Division (its core business), the SIJ Group is also composed of the Poultry Division (the Perutnina Ptuj Group). Together, the two divisions created revenues of 1.012 billion Euros in 2017, 103.8 million Euros of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), and a net profit of 17.6 million Euros. Both divisions created most of the 2017 revenues in foreign markets. Steel exports amounted to 821.5 million Euros, which is 81.1 percent of the total revenues.

Additional information:
SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.
mag. Sara Wagner, Head of corporate communications
Telephone: +386 1 242 98 27
Mobile: +386 41 313 532
E-mail: sara.wagner@sij.si