EUROMETAL to add Turkish companies to member base

European Steel association EUROMETAL announced it has expanded its member base to include Turkish steel stockholding companies and service centers.

“In order to benefit from the full range of support services EUROMETAL offers to its members, companies from Turkish steel distribution & SSC business have now decided to join Eurometal,” the association said Wednesday.

Three Turkish companies have joined the organization so far. As one of the biggest stockholding distribution companies in Turkey, SOYBAS sells 150,000 mt of flat, longs and tubular carbon steel products, operating its own steel service center (SSC) and structural steel tube production. Also accessing membership is Yametas, a Turkish SSC and steel tube producers for all strip mill products and Gokmetal, an SSC for flat products.

EUROMETAL’s decision was made amid increasing relevance of the Turkish market for European steel companies. The Turkish steel market has grown significantly in the last two decades, reaching a consumption of 34 million mt in 2016, compared with 41 million mt in Germany and 24 million mt in Italy as both production and steel distribution and servicing has developed strongly. European coil producers are large sellers into Turkey.

According to the association, membership is constituted not only by national associations, but also “by steel distribution, trade and SSC companies having cross border interests in European steel, tubes and metal markets.”

Pascal Dick, SBB DAILY BRIEFING