EuroBLECH 2024, the 27th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, took place from 22-25 October 2024 in Hanover, Germany, and focused on materials, machines and production lines, modern tools and processes for working with metal sheets, and finished products.
This exhibition is one of the leading meeting places for sheet steel producers, representatives of the processing industry and companies that use sheet steel - aerospace, shipbuilding, electronics and engineering technologies, and many others.
Given the traditionally high interest in EuroBLECH among Metinvest Group's current and potential customers, the team of the Commercial Directorate of our Company did not passed up this important event. Metinvest Group was represented at the exhibition by its own stand and a strong team of top managers from the Commercial Directorate, leading managers of Italian Metinvest Trametal and Ferriera Valseider plants, which are among the leaders in the European structural steel plate market, and sales specialists from Metinvest Group's sales offices in Western Europe.
For Metinvest's delegation, EuroBLECH 2024 was not only a place to present Ukrainian steel, but also an effective platform for establishing new partnerships and strengthening existing ties with customers and suppliers. In particular, representatives of the Metinvest's Commercial Directorate discussed with customers the company's project to build a new hot-rolled coil plant in Piombino, Italy, and spoke about opportunities that will allow Metinvest Group to remain highly competitive in the global market.
The exhibition also provided an opportunity to discuss future trends in the industry. By the way, the general mood of EuroBLECH 2024 participants is somewhat optimistic.
"Despite the challenging market with low prices and weak demand, the mood of customers was quite positive. They see this year as a transitional year, with no expected profit, but there are already signs of improvement, such as lower energy costs in Europe, lower interest rates, and hopes for changes in the geopolitical situation. This gives us some optimistic expectations about the growth of European producers‘ efficiency and market improvement in 2025," they say in Metinvest about customer mood and future trends.
Given these forecasts, there is a hope that the Italian Ferriera Valsider will be able to restore its operating capacity by the end of the year. Metinvest Trametal is currently operating at full capacity despite the challenging environment.