At the SteelOrbis Italy Forum held in Milan, Italy, with the support of Erdemir, one of Europe's leading steel producers, Meltem Alim Atmaca, International Sales, Marketing and Sales Director of Erdemir, evaluated the steel markets, while Tayfun Kocabaş, Operational Excellence Director, shared Erdemir's quality and sustainability solutions with participants from around the world.
Erdemir, Türkiye's leading steel producer, organized the second of the steel sector meetings, the first of which was held in Istanbul in June, in cooperation with SteelOrbis, in Milan, Italy, on October 8, 2024. At the event, which was supported by Erdemir, Türkiye's global steel powerhouse, and attended by nearly 200 participants, the carbon zero emission target of the steel industry and the future of the European steel market were discussed. Hosted leading representatives of the European steel industry, the event also included Sercan Büyükbayram, Chief Sales Marketing Officer of Erdemir. The forum concluded with presentations by Meltem Alim Atmaca, Marketing and Sales Director of Erdemir, and Tayfun Kocabaş, Operational Excellence Director of Erdemir.
Joint action against China's rise is a must
Stating that they continue to work to maintain their position in the market as the 4th largest steel producer in Europe and the 52nd largest steel producer in the world according to 2023 production figures, Meltem Alim Atmaca, Marketing and Sales Director of Erdemir, said: “In the last five years, consumption in the steel sector has recovered, despite difficulties in production caused by increased protectionist measures, the pandemic, and the earthquake disaster. Although Türkiye continues to be an importer of flat steel, demand in the steel sector is expected to increase promisingly over the next 10 years, in parallel with the growth of our country's economy. The European Union, which has a 21 percent share of Türkiye's flat steel exports, has started to lose its weight due to increasing export pressure from Asia. Türkiye accounted for an average of 16 percent of the EU's flat steel imports between 2017 and 2022. However, by 2023, this rate had dropped to around 7 percent. In contrast, there was a significant increase in exports from Asia to the EU during this period. Asian countries will continue to strengthen their market position in the absence of improvements in flat steel trade between Türkiye and Europe and the development of common protectionist policies. Therefore, it is crucial for steel producers in the European Union and Türkiye to take joint action against China's aggressive stance.”
Green transformation will determine the future of the steel industry
Tayfun Kocabaş, Operational Excellence Director of Erdemir, who announced the Net Zero Roadmap that outlines green transformation steps in early 2024, shared the following in his presentation at the forum: “The steps taken in line with sustainability goals and green transformation will determine the future of the steel industry. As Erdemir and İsdemir, our goal is to reduce carbon emissions per ton by 25 percent by 2030 and 40 percent by 2040, using 2022 as the base year. At Erdemir and İsdemir, we plan to undertake a transformation investment of USD 3.2 billion by the end of 2030 to reduce carbon emissions per ton of crude steel produced by at least 25 percent. Part of these investments includes installing a solar power plant (SPP) with an annual electricity generation capacity of 1.71 million MWh.”
Emphasizing that they analyze greenhouse gas emissions, identify emission sources, and plan improvement actions, Kocabaş said, “In this context, we have conducted preliminary studies for emission reduction at our companies, with activities such as energy efficiency initiatives, increasing the use of scrap in production, and utilizing HBI (hot briquetted iron). Additionally, by tracking the development of low-emission steel production technologies, we have shaped our Net Zero Roadmap through feasibility studies. In our green transformation journey, which we embarked upon with the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, we will take firm steps towards a sustainable future with our carbon reduction and energy efficiency improvement initiatives.”
