Benelux service centre plans further expansion

Dutch-headquartered steel service centre Roba Metals is planning to expand its storage facilities for stainless steel, following other investments implemented in 2017.

The company with sites in the Netherlands and Belgium processes carbon as well as stainless steel strip. Roba’s Stainless Division plans to add a new warehouse for sheet in 2018, with an area of 5,000 square metres, Kallanish learns from managing director Florin Negulescu.

The unit normally carries stocks in excess of 10,000 tonnes, and in 2017 produced 42,500 tonnes of cut-to-length sheet with a staff of 30. Stainless activities are mainly located at the company’s headquarters in Ijsselstein, Netherlands, but also in Genk, Belgium, where the new warehouse will be built.

Roba spent €4.0 million ($4.7m) last year on a new warehouse for mother coil with an area of 4,000 m² at its (carbon) Steel Division in Genk where it employs 50 personnel.  It also installed a new leveller for the CTL line which cost €800,000. In 2017, the unit produced 92,000 tonnes of slit strip and 35,000 tonnes of cut-to length sheet. Its normal stock level is above 30,000t.

Roba Metals was established in 1937 and was initially involved in recycling. This continues to form part of its activities, with the focus on non-ferrous metals. It has a recycling centre in Warwickshire, UK, and also has sales offices in Krefeld, Germany and Olawy in Poland.