Italian stainless steel producer Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) has closed the year with a net profit of €53.34 million and a turnover of over €2 billion, the company announced. During the year, it produced 1.79 million tons of liquid steel, a result that "had not been achieved since 2013."
AST explained that it saw its performance improve especially in the second half of the fiscal year, although it had to face and manage "a real storm that hit the raw materials and energy supply markets."
"Today, demand is stimulating (with the exception of the automotive sector, which continues to be weak) and this has allowed the achievement of important production levels, with plants being fully used. Despite this, there have been significant improvements in productivity and quality, both internally and externally," AST continued.
AST pointed out that in the past year there were 13 accidents at the company, a number six times lower than the average in the Italian steel industry, as well as "the best result ever (accident frequency index was 3.3 against 3.4 in the previous year)."
The German group ThyssenKrupp thus leaves in the hands of the Arvedi Group a healthy plant. The sale to Arvedi, announced September 16 last, "opens a new chapter in the history of AST, which is at the center of a strategic operation for the entire Italian and European steel industry," AST stated in conclusion.