Made in Steel: Italian flats market between difficulties and signs of recovery
At Made in Steel 2025 held at Fiera Milano Rho, Italy, a roundtable was convened to discuss the current state and future outlook of the Italian and European markets for flat steel products. The discussion offered a clear-eyed, realistic, and at times moderately optimistic analysis, featuring insights from leading industry figures.
Andrea Gabrielli, chairman and CEO of Gabrielli Group, opened the panel by outlining a challenging start to the year, commenting, “2024 closed with an eight percent decline in flat product sales, bringing us back to levels even lower than the pre-COVID period,” adding, “The first months of 2025 have shown a slight recovery, but a 3-4 percent drop still persists.” He also pointed out the growing difficulties in procurement due to changes in EU safeguard clauses and provisional antidumping duties on imported HRC, which are significantly limiting import opportunities from third countries.
The perspective on welded pipe products was provided by Pierluigi Pegorari, CEO of Arvedi Tubi Acciaio, who described an apparent stability in volumes, but increasing pressure from market distortions. “Phenomena such as stockpiling are disrupting the entire distribution system,” he explained. “For us, the priority is not growth but consolidation in the downstream segment, focusing on special steels,” he said.
Gianfranco Imperato, CEO of Trasteel, offered an overview of slabs and plate products, acknowledging a difficult 2024 but also highlighting early signs of stabilization. “After a 6-7 percent drop in consumption across Europe, we are now seeing a slight realignment in margins thanks to reduced supply and a rebound in prices,” he noted.
Looking ahead, the speakers agreed on the need to tackle uncertainty with flexibility and a strategic vision. “The European manufacturing sector has lost competitiveness. We need to pay close attention to key industries like home appliances and automotive,” Gabrielli observed. Pegorari stressed the urgency of structural interventions, particularly to support energy and infrastructure.
Imperato concluded with a message of cautious optimism, stating, “The order book looks solid, but the market remains cautious. That said, the history of steel suggests that after every downturn a recovery inevitably follows.”
Carbon-neutral steel for the production of motor vehicle modules at Craemer
German company Craemer has entered into an agreement with Italian steelmaker Acciaieria Arvedi to acquire low-emission steel for Craemer’s components production.
The company plans to utilise Arvedi’s carbon-neutral certified “ARVzero” steel, which is made from high-quality scrap. This is produced in an electric arc furnace utilising sustainable energy sources, Kallanish learns from an Arvedi spokesperson.
Craemer is working towards establishing an eco-friendly supply chain. ARVzero steel is sustainable due to its production process utilising Arvedi-ESP-Technology and electric arc furnaces. This results in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and the use of certified renewable energy.
The collaboration for the supply of sustainable steel began with the signing of a cooperation agreement in June. According to Craemer, “ARVzero steel can be used at all Craemer sites with metal-processing facilities … We can cover an important part of our demand for steel at the Herzebrock-Clarholz and Attendorn sites in Germany and at the Liptovský Mikuláš site in Slovakia.”
Arvedi is securing multiple contracts for its environmentally-friendly steel. Gestamp, a Spanish component maker, recently revealed its decision to utilise Arvedi’s low-emission steel for its components production. As per Gestamp, the collaboration with Acciaieria Arvedi represents another stride towards implementing a circular economy within the company’s overall business approach.
Last year, Arvedi obtained the carbon neutrality certificate for its Cremona plant. This was after drastically reducing scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by investing in a new EAF supplied by Tenova, and cutting the use of pig iron and other polluting raw materials.
The first carbon neutral certificate for Arvedi’s coils was issued for a large contract with Mercedes Benz that started in 2023.
Chief executive Mario Caldonazzo revealed last year the steelmaker has received demand for carbon-neutral steel and is in talks with other automakers.
Natalia Capra France
