A thriving industry, a strategic step for a strong economy
The start of Erdemir's production activities is one of the turning points for Turkiye, which was trying to develop its economy in line with its development plan. Given that Turkiye made substantial progress in the field of industry in the 1950s, a significant part of Turkiye's imports consisted of products produced from flat steel which were imported by spending a significant amount of foreign currency reserves. The need for flat steel was ever-increasing along with the development of new industries. At this point, one of the most important strategic steps in Turkiye's development planning was taken and it was decided to establish Erdemir.
In 1959, a feasibility study was initiated jointly by Koppers Associates SA company located in the U.S. and a committee established by the Ministry of Industry on the status of the company that will establish the plant to produce flat steel. In parallel, Koppers Associates SA, İş Bankası A.Ş., General Directorate of Iron and Steel Enterprises and Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Industry became the founders of the company that will produce flat steel. With a protocol signed by these organizations at the end of 1959, an enterprising committee was elected to prepare and execute the documents such as the draft law, the Founding Charter and the Articles of Association regarding the company to be established.
The Founding Charter was signed on February 12th, 1960 for the establishment of Turkiye's first flat steel production facility. With the law numbered 7462 passed on February 28th, 1960, the Council of Ministers was authorized to establish a joint stock company entitled Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları TAŞ (Erdemir) (Eregli Iron and Steel Works Turkish Joint Stock Company). In Turkiye, which has made a rapid industrialization move, its establishment was officially registered on 11 May 1960 with a special law in order to feed the existing industry and to establish and develop new industrial branches. Erdemir was officially registered with a special law enacted on May 11th, 1960 in order to support the existing industries and the establishment and development of new industries in Turkiye, which has made rapid industrialization moves.
Erdemir started its journey on May 15th, 1965 with an annual production capacity of 0.5 million tons of crude steel and 0.4 million tons of flat steel.
With its continuous growth strategy, it has become Turkiye's leading steel producer
Erdemir has continuously improved its production capacity and product range in line with the increasing needs of the Turkish industry. Having signed the biggest investment projects in Turkiye.
Erdemir completed the Capacity Building and Modernization Investments (KAM I and KAM II) worth 1.5 billion USD in 1996. The New Port Facilities, one of the largest ports in the Black Sea and in Turkiye, entered service in 1998, the Tin/Chrome Plating Facility entered service in 1999, and Turkiye's only plate rolling mill was commissioned in 2006.
While increasing its capacity and product range with the investments it made, Erdemir continued to grow with the companies it has established and acquired, including İskenderun Iron and Steel Works Inc. (Isdemir), Erdemir Steel Service Center (Ersem), Erdemir Mining Industry and Trade Inc. (Ermaden), Erdemir Romania SRL and Erdemir Engineering Management and Consulting Services Inc.
2006 was a turning point for Erdemir and its subsidiaries. Having joined OYAK (Turkish Armed Forces Assistance and Pension Fund), one of the largest groups in our country, in 2006, Erdemir and its subsidiaries continued to grow strongly with the financial strength and experience of OYAK.
Erdemir, a school in the Turkish flat steel industry, commissioned the New No.1 Blast Furnace named Ayşe, which is the product of the knowledge and effort of its own engineers and workers, in 2008.
Aiming to provide innovative solutions for its customers' current and future needs and to use its resources effectively and efficiently in line with its responsible production approach, Erdemir established its R&D Center in 2014 to conduct advanced steel research. In 2018, Erdemir commissioned the 2nd Continuous Galvanizing Line, which has high-tech features and carries out high-quality special productions especially for the automotive industry. On the other hand, Erdemir continued to grow together with Erdemir Asia&Pacific Pte. Ltd, Erdemir Energy, Isdemir Linde Gas Partnership and Kümaş Magnesite.
As OYAK Mining&Metallurgy companies, Erdemir and its subsidiaries continue to work for our country with their production, financial performance, employment they provide and their contribution to sustainable development.
