According to a report by the Turkish daily Dunya, Oyak Mining and Metallurgy Group plans to expand Isdemir in global markets using the group’s own equity. The group is aiming to focus on production of high value-added steel products which are not currently produced in Turkey, while increasing the production capacity and product mix to allow the added-value to stay within the country and to contribute to the narrowing of the trade deficit.
In the first half of 2017, Isdemir produced 600,000 mt of long steel which is the total production by Oyak Mining and Metallurgy Group and 1.7 million mt of flat steel out of the total flat steel production of 3.9 million mt. In the same period, Isdemir exported 115,000 mt of long steel and 406,000 mt of flat steel products.
Meanwhile, Isdemir and the German Linde Group established a joint venture in December 2016 to build an air separation unit which is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2017 and is expected to increase Isdemir’s oxygen and nitrogen production capacity.
Being the only integrated steel plant which produces both long and flat steel in Turkey, Isdemir has an annual capacity of 3.5 million mt of flat steel, 600,000 mt of wire rod and 2.5 million mt of billet, while the company also exports to the global market, especially to southern Europe and the Middle East.