Piombino, Italy-based steelmaker Liberty Magona, which was acquired in 2019 by Liberty Steel - the steel producing arm of GFG Alliance - plans to expand its prepainted products, also by acquiring new markets, thanks to an increase in production capacity. The greater quantity of prepainted products available in 2021, explained the company, has allowed the plant "to significantly extend its geographical scope, leading it to acquire new customers both in European and non-European markets."
With a production capacity of about 800,000 mt per year of galvanized and pre-painted steels, Liberty Magona employs 526 people plus another 200 indirect employees in related industries. The expansion of production capacity, with a pickling line restarted in 2019 and a painting line restarted in 2020, has led to the hiring of 100 new employees in the past two years. Toker Ozcan, Greensteel EMEA CEO for Liberty Steel Group, said, "Our vision is to build on Liberty Magona's strong industrial heritage and make it one of the leading Greensteel producers in its markets. The company started the year well. We look forward to adding more employees as we strengthen our production capacity. We will increase our product range and expand the markets in which we sell. We feel even more confident for the future, as Liberty Magona is gaining the full support of local and national authorities in Italy to cope with unprecedented energy prices across Europe, and, consequently, also unfair competition on the import side. We firmly believe that this collaboration will help us innovate Greensteel production technologies sooner than initially anticipated." Plans of retraining, development and training are planned in collaboration with the Greensteel Academy and the universities of Pisa and Rome to study and apply new technologies so as to reduce environmental impact and energy consumption.