TK Stainless

Strategic focus
The goal of ThyssenKrupp Stainless AG is to further cement and expand
its excellent market position by constantly developing new applications for
its materials. Our growth strategy is based on three main pillars:
In the stainless steel business the emphasis is on securing competitiveness
in our core European market.
Our position as a global stainless producer is to be strengthened by further
penetration of the attractive NAFTA market.
In the area of high-performance alloys, we intend to expand our business
in nickel alloys and titanium.
ThyssenKrupp sTainless aG Strategic focus
To achieve these growth targets, ThyssenKrupp Stainless is modernizing and expanding its existing
operations and building a new integrated stainless production facility in the USA. In addition to
systematically further developing our performance enhancement programs, we are also investing
heavily in optimizing and expanding capacity at our operating companies. At the group’s European
companies alone, investment projects with a total volume of several hundred million euros are
currently under way.
At ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni, the aim is to concentrate production on the Terni location
after the closure of the Turin plant. The relocation of production to Terni is already well advanced. With
the recommissioning of relocated and modernized equipment from Turin, the ramp-up of new production
lines and the further expansion of the finishing department, the Terni plant will be developed into a
world-class integrated stainless mill. At the other stainless companies of the group, too, significant
investment has been made in modernizing the plants and in particular expanding processing capacity.
In the area of high-performance alloys, the expansion of remelting capacity and the commissioning of
an in-house forging line at the Unna plant of ThyssenKrupp VDM has further optimized the production
structure and improved operating performance. This has given us access to demanding and attractive
segments such as aviation and plant construction. A state-of-the-art electron beam furnace has gone
into operation at the Essen location of ThyssenKrupp Titanium.
A central element of the segment’s strategy is the construction of a new stainless mill as part of a
joint project with ThyssenKrupp Steel, work on which began in autumn 2007. The Stainless segment’s
direct entry in the USA will permit the sustained expansion of its business in North America. The group
is already active on the North American stainless market, with a market share of around 12 percent
in the USA alone. The market is primarily served by our Mexican subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Mexinox,
backed by imports from our mills in Germany, Italy and China. Marketing is carried out via our Chicagobased
sales company, which is already well established.
ThyssenKrupp Stainless aims to gain increased recognition as a supplier of a wide range of highquality
materials, from stainless steel to nickel alloys to titanium, and as a service provider for all
aspects of these materials through its global network of production and sales companies and service
centers. That means supplying customers with solutions for diverse applications, offering product
support services - for example through various forms of processing - and being an effective local
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