German distribution group Knauf Interfer has reorganised its Steel business unit with a new structure and significant investments, it tells Kallanish.
In future, the Steel unit will be divided into the Steel Service and Functional Metals subdivisions. The Steel Service division will bundle the activities and logistics capacities of the steel service centres, the blanking plant and the Benelux sales office. Production and finishing of cold-rolled strip will be bundled in the Functional Metals division.
Among its processing and finishing services, Knauf highlights multi-layer surface coating, in which it applies several layers of different metal coatings to the surface of strip steel. This allows it to combine the advantages of different metal coatings, Knauf explains.
It also offers selective finishing, a process to selectively coat certain areas of the steel strip while leaving other areas untreated. With its blanking line and other machinery, the Steel unit is also capable of manufacturing complex products, the company notes.
Parallel to the organisational realignment, Knauf Interfer has initiated investment in the Steel unit. In August, extensive expansion and new construction work was started at the Delta Stahl plant in Barsinghausen, Germany. In May, Knauf expanded the portfolio in strip finishing through the integration of the H. D. Lenzen Group.
“In the long term, the importance of distribution, including in-house procurement, warehousing, processing and logistics, will continue to grow for national and international supply chains,” says group chief operating officer Domenico Marino.
Christian Koehl Germany
