Construction has started on the hall for the new voestalpine special steel plant in Kapfenberg

16 April 2019 |

One year after the groundbreaking ceremony for the world’s most advanced special steel plant, construction work for the EUR 350 million project in Kapfenberg, Styria, is on schedule. After completion of the construction site and associated infrastructure, Group company voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl has now awarded the contract for construction of the hall of the steel plant: Austrian companies Unger Stahlbau Ges.m.b.H, based in Oberwart, Burgenland, and Haslinger Stahlbau GmbH, headquartered in Feldkirchen, Carinthia, will form a consortium to erect the steel construction, which will cover an area of three hectares. The industrial equipment permit for the new plant was issued in March 2019.

Over the past twelve months, at the voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl works premises the preconditions necessary prior to the start of the actual construction phase at the new special steel plant have been met: the 50,000 m² construction site has been completely levelled and secured with a 700 meter-long retaining wall. The access roads, assembly area, and infrastructure needed by the subcontractors are also operational.

We have successfully completed the preliminary work, and now the next key step in realizing this sophisticated project is construction of the hall. We are convinced that, in Unger Stahlbau and Haslinger Stahlbau, we have found two partners with significant experience in construction projects of this magnitude.

Franz Rotter, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Group’s High Performance Metals Division

Preparation is forging ahead at full speed: Around a month ago, construction work began on the foundations for the hall, which is scheduled for completion by February 2020. 150 people are currently at work at the construction site, with another 100 active in project planning.

New special steel plant sets global benchmark

With its new special steel plant, which will supply around 205,000 tons of special steel annually to the international aerospace, oil and gas, and tool construction industries from 2021, voestalpine is setting completely new standards globally in digitalized and automated procedures. The technological heart of the plant is an electric arc furnace powered using 100% green electricity, which will melt down ultra-pure scrap and alloys to produce sophisticated steel grades. As previously announced, German plant construction company SMS group is supplying the furnace. Construction of the special steel plant secures more than 3,500 long-term jobs at voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl and its sister processing companies voestalpine Böhler Aerospace (also in Kapfenberg), and voestalpine Böhler Bleche (Mürzzuschlag).

High Performance Metals Division

The voestalpine AG’s High Performance Metals Division is focused on producing and processing high-performance materials and customer-specific services including heat treatment, high-tech surface treatments, and additive manufacturing processes. Due to its unique sales and service network at about 160 sites around the world the division offers its customers material availability and processing as well as local points of contact. The division is the global market leader for tool steel and a leading provider of high-speed steel, valve steel, and other products made of special steels, as well as powder materials, nickel-based alloys, titanium, and components produced using additive manufacturing technologies. The most important customer segments are the automotive, oil and natural gas exploration, and mechanical engineering industries as well as the consumer goods and aerospace industries. In the business year 2017/18, the division reported revenue of around EUR 2.9 billion, of which about 50% was generated outside Europe, and an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 454 million; it has around 14,300 employees worldwide.

The voestalpine Group

In its business segments, voestalpine is a globally leading technology group with a unique combination of material and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its top-quality products and system solutions using steel and other metals, it is one of the leading partners to the automotive and consumer goods industries in Europe as well as to the aerospace and oil & gas industries worldwide. voestalpine is also the world market leader in turnout technology, special rails, tool steel, and special sections. In the business year 2017/18, the Group generated revenue of around EUR 13 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of almost EUR 2 billion; it has around 51,600 employees worldwide.