
Grupo Soledad enters steel industry with Aceros y Servicios acquisition
Spanish company Grupo Soledad (GS) has entered the steel sector with the acquisition of Aceros y Servicios (AyS), a Valencia-based special steel supplier and manufacturer of components for the railways, tooling, ceramics, and machinery sectors, Kallanish notes.
GS specialises in the retail distribution of tyres and spare parts for the automotive industry. Additionally, through its subsidiaries, the company manufactures components for the construction sector via Caucho Industrial Verdú (Alcoi). It also produces machinery for the recycling sector through Tallants Navarro.
“With this acquisition, the group is expanding its expertise in the special steels sector while also strengthening the production capacities of two of our companies, both of which have ambitious expansion plans in their respective markets,” Grupo Soledad states.
AyS is set to develop steel components for Alcoi, focusing on the railway infrastructure and construction sectors. These are both experiencing strong international demand due to the expansion of high-speed rail and the modernisation of conventional rail networks across Europe. Additionally, the company will manufacture machinery for ferrous recycling and industrial steel cutting blades for Tallants Navarro.
“Aceros y Servicios, alongside the new opportunities presented, will continue to create value for its customers. This will be achieved through optimisation processes in steel selection and application studies, areas in which the company has seen significant success in recent years,” Grupo Soledad adds.
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria

Taiichio&Wolf Projects wins “SME of the Year” award in Valencia
Taiichio&Wolf Projects, a company specializing in steel product supply chains and a proud member of EUROMETAL, has been named SME of the Year 2024 in Valencia. The award, organized by Banco Santander and the Valencia Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Levante-EMV, recognizes outstanding contributions from small and medium-sized enterprises to the Spanish economy.
At the award ceremony held at The Terminal Hub, Rafael López, CEO of Taiichio&Wolf Projects, highlighted the company’s innovative initiatives. “We work on renewable energy projects, primarily offshore wind. Currently, we are involved in a groundbreaking project that will develop two prototypes of floating solar platforms in Valencia. Additionally, we are collaborating with a Korean partner to develop pipelines for carbon capture and hydrogen,” López stated.
This recognition places Taiichio&Wolf Projects among the finalists competing for the National SME of the Year Award 2024, to be announced in Madrid during the first quarter of 2025.
The event also acknowledged other exemplary SMEs with special mentions in key categories. These included Internxt Universal Technologies for Innovation and Digitalization, Aranguren Comercial del Embalaje (Aranco) for Sustainability, Resuinsa Experiences for Internationalization, and Fongascal for Training and Employment.
Photo: Fernando Bustamante
Source: levante-emv.com

ArcelorMittal resumes Gijón steelworks, longs production
ArcelorMittal resumed operations at its Spanish steel mills on Tuesday, Kallanish notes. The facilities, including the Gijón steelworks and long steel production units, were temporarily halted in mid-December due to weak demand and increased competition from low-priced imports.
“All facilities are now operational,” an ArcelorMittal spokesperson confirms. No specific production or capacity utilisation rates have been disclosed. “We are continuously assessing market conditions and adapting to the ongoing challenges posed by low demand,” the spokesperson adds.
The temporary closure primarily affected the wire rod plant and rail mill division.
Last week, ArcelorMittal reached an agreement with Spain’s largest trade unions to implement a new Temporary Employment Regulation Scheme (ERTE) for 2025. This measure is designed to provide flexibility in addressing production adjustments or temporary stoppages, ensuring stability amid persistent uncertainty in steel demand.
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria

Sidenor tests new electric combustion technology
Spanish special steelmaker Sidenor says it is testing innovative technologies, such as the application of electric resistance heating in the preheating process of tundishes, to lower carbon footprint, Kallanish learns from the company.
This is part of the Citadel project, financed by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, which promotes transformation towards a more sustainable and carbon-free steel industry.
Several of Sidenor’s gas-fired heating processes are currently the focus of the testing. The initiative is centred on the electrification of processes which traditionally depend on natural gas, such as tundish and ladle heating, which are critical in the production of liquid steel and have a great impact on the final quality of the product.
“We are working to optimise these processes by developing two key industrial tests, tundish heating using electric resistances and ladle heating using oxy-fuel combustion,” Sidenor comments. “These tests aim to evaluate the feasibility of substituting natural gas with cleaner energy sources, thus reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency at crucial production phases.”
The use of O2, as a by-product of H2, is expected to increase production efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by around 30%. The technology will enable the transition to hydrogen combustion in the near future.
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria

Hydnum and Euroports join forces for european steel logistics
Hydnum Steel, the first green steel plant in Spain, and Euroports, one of the leading port and logistics operators in Europe, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop integrated logistics solutions that will optimise the steel supply chain across the continent.
Under this agreement, both companies will work closely in the design and implementation of an efficient and sustainable logistics network, focused on improving the transportation, storage, and distribution of the steel coils that Hydnum Steel will produce at its Puertollano plant.
The collaboration also considers efficient and reliable logistics solutions for key steelmaking raw materials such as ferrous scrap, green metallics, and iron ore from various sources and different origins.
This partnership is based on Europort’s expertise in port infrastructure management and logistics services. For its part, Hydnum Steel requires a reliable logistics service for the import of iron ore and scrap metal, as well as the export of green steel coils.

Spain prioritises Hydnum Steel’s low-emission steel project
Spain’s Hydnum Steel (HS) has been declared a priority project by the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, Kallanish learns from the company. This will guarantee the investment preferential administrative processing and fast track project implementation.
HS plans to build the first green steel mill on the Iberian Peninsula. The project, a partnership consisting of the Helvella investment company, Siemens, ABEI Energy and Russula Corporation, will be located in Puertollano, in the Castilla-La Mancha region.
“Our project will lead, not only to the decarbonisation of the steel industry, but will also be a great driver for economic activity and employment, attracting auxiliary companies and promoting the service sector and infrastructure development,” says HS chief executive Eva Maneiro.
The Puertollano project’s new status will speed up its implementation, especially in matters of land and urban planning. Among other advantages, it implies economic and financial incentive measures.
The green steel plant is designed to use fossil-free energy throughout the manufacturing process and will gradually incorporate green hydrogen to substantially reduce CO2 emissions.
“Production will be in line with the sustainable development objectives in the steel sector and the circular economy, recycling scrap as raw material, minimising the use of water and valuing the waste and by-products generated during the manufacturing processes,” HS confirms.
The plant will satisfy the growing consumption of low-emission rolled steel in key sectors in Spain, such as automotive and construction.
“Flat steel demand continues to grow above production levels, producing a negative trade balance of 11 million tonnes each year at a European level and around 4-5mt in Spain,” Maneiro observes. “Furthermore, this demand is expected to grow at a steady rate of 1.3% until 2030. Therefore, the market is heading towards a supply deficit of low-emission flat steel which makes this type of project especially important. Added to this is Spain’s potential in terms of volume and price of renewable energy, with the lowest production costs in Europe.”
The project is valued at €1.65 billion ($1.73 billion) and will create more than 1,000 direct jobs. The plant, occupying an area of 1.3 million square metres, is expected to be operational in 2026.
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria

Unesid appoints Carola Hermoso as general director
Spanish steel association Unesid has appointed Carola Hermoso, as its new general director. She will replace Andrés Barceló, who has been in the position since July 2009, Kallanish notes.
“Barceló will continue in his duties until January, to guarantee an orderly succession and after he will continue as an advisor to the Unesid Council until June 2025,” the association says.
Hermoso is currently the executive chief of the Spanish Galvanizers Association ATEG and president of the European Galvanizers Association’s environment and safety committee. The newly elected director worked at Unesid between September 2008 and October 2019, with role in the environment, institutional relations, sustainability and corporate.
Todor Kirkov Bulgaria