Finland-based stainless steel producer Outokumpu has announced that, together with Spanish steelmaker Sidenor, they have signed an agreement with European special and stainless steel bar distributor IMS group, according to which IMS will act as the exclusive distributor of Prodec® high machinability round bars in key European countries including Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The companies announced last year a similar contract with IMS for Belgium and the Netherlands. With the agreement, Outokumpu and Sidenor will provide Prodec bars covering the full dimension range from six mm to 230 mm.
John Stansfield, head of sales for Outokumpu Long Products Europe, stated that this agreement with IMS ensures stainless steel long products customers will have easy access to Prodec stainless steel with a short lead time.
Meanwhile, last year Outokumpu and Sidenor announced a partnership to jointly market Prodec high machinability steel bar in Europe.
According to Outokumpu, Prodec can improve machining speeds significantly, resulting in a doubling of tool life compared to competing materials in the market.