Speaking at a conference that was held late last week in Brescia, Italy, Antonio Marcegaglia, president of Italy-based steelmaker group Marcegaglia stated that they are interested in ThyssenKrupp’s Terni-based Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) plant. "We have a large consumption of stainless steel, Terni is our main supplier and we are by far their most important customer." said Marcegaglia.
According to various press sources, AST said that if a negotiation were to be opened, it would be the parent company to communicate it to the market. "We are not even in the phase of expressions of interest", said top executives from the Terni-based plant.
November last year German steel producer ThyssenKrupp, through its former CEO Heinrich Hiesinger, confirmed its plans to sell its Italian stainless steel plant subsidiary, Terni-based ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni (AST). Rumors about a sale of the plant began circulating after the talks of a potential merger between ThyssenKrupp and Tata Steel. The Italian stainless steel unit, which recorded a net profit of €87 million in the FY 2016-17, has been labeled non-strategic by ThyssenKrupp.