Acciaierie Bertoli Safau (ABS), the steelmaking division of Danieli Group, has finalized the acquisition of 100 percent of the share capital of R. Casini Srl, a historic company based in Feletto Umberto, in the province of Udine, engaged in the collection, processing and trading of ferrous and metallic materials.
The transaction was carried out through ABS’ subsidiary Rott-Ferr Srl and is part of the supply chain integration process launched by ABS in 2023 with the acquisition of Rott-Ferr itself. The aim is to strengthen the company’s control over a raw material that is becoming increasingly strategic for the European steel industry, ensuring greater supply continuity, higher scrap quality and improved sustainability across the steel production cycle.
The integration of Rott-Ferr and R. Casini will enable the creation of a Friuli-based scrap hub with an overall management capacity estimated at around 200,000 mt per year, supporting the production of special steels. In the medium term, the industrial plan envisages an increase in collection and processing volumes, leveraging the experience gained by Rott-Ferr in recent years.
“The acquisition of R. Casini is part of a coherent industrial plan, launched with Rott-Ferr, with a long-term perspective,” Camilla Benedetti, chairwoman of ABS, stated. “The growing importance of scrap for the European steel industry makes it essential to invest in collection capacity, treatment expertise, and the selection and valorization of raw materials, while at the same time strengthening local roots and operational continuity.”
ABS’ move confirms the group’s intention to consolidate control over the upstream stages of the production chain, in a context in which the availability of high-quality scrap is becoming an increasingly important competitive factor for electric arc furnace-based steel producers. The strengthening of collection and valorization activities for metallic materials is also in line with the group’s efficiency and sustainability targets.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, ABS recently started construction work on its Hybrid Digital Green Plant, a €400 million project at its Pozzuolo del Friuli site. The new line, with an estimated annual capacity of 730,000 mt, is part of a broader industrial plan involving total investments of €817 million between 2023 and 2028, aimed at increasing the group’s production capacity from 1.4 million mt to over 2.1 million mt per year and reducing emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
The acquisition of R. Casini therefore represents a further step in ABS’ development strategy in the special steels segment, strengthening its industrial presence in Friuli Venezia Giulia and its direct control over a key resource for the transition of the European steel industry.