Duferco acquires Italian service centre shareholding

Swiss-based Duferco International Trading Holding (DITH) has invested in Italian coil service centre Marcora, sources close to the company tell Kallanish.

With an annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes, Marcora counts ten re-rolling lines at two production facilities near Milan. It processes coil with a maximum thickness of 6mm and width of 2,000mm.

Duferco, which has bought a 20% shareholding in Marcora, will boost the company’s international presence while expanding into the downstream sector.

In 2020 Duferco Group’s net profit was $112 million, increasing by 19% compared to $94m achieved in 2019. Revenue however decreased by 21% year-on-year to $11.7 billion due to lower energy prices, which affected Duferco’s energy trading division, and low volumes and steel prices.

Last year, the group’s investments stood at over €36m, mostly focused on the revamp of the San Zeno plant in Italy. Italy’s Duferco Travi e Profilati was earlier awarded a loan of €72m for the construction of a new, greener production plant at its San Zeno Naviglio site near Brescia. Duferco will install the new production line, provided by SMS, partly with a view to expanding capacity (see Kallanish passim).

Natalia Capra France