Page 10 - Port of Hamburg | Port of Hamburg Magazine 1.2023

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G G A A T T E E W W A AY Y H H A A M M B B U U R R G G P P O O R R T T O O F F H H A A M M B B U U R R G G M M A A G G A A Z Z I I N N E E 1 1 / / 2 2 3 3
Steel of top quality
voestalpine is a world leader in steel and technology, combining immense material and processing expertise. .
BY RALF JOHANNING
For smooth acquisition of raw materials for its Steel Division and Metal Engineering Division crude steel producers, the group relies on the Port of Hamburg. For manufacturing its high-quality steel products, voestalpine needs such primary raw materials as iron ore and coal. At their Linz base, voestalpine
processes the raw materials in three blast furnaces and a coke oven. Another production site with two additional blast furnaces is located at Donawitz. “Our annual purchases total more than ten million tons of ore, over 2.7 million tons of coal, one million tons of coke and about the same quantity of scrap, along with alloys, fireproof materials, electricity and gas,” explains Peter Sixt, Head of Coal/Coke Purchasing for Linz-based voestalpine Rohstoffbeschaffung – raw material sourcing.
voestalpine secures some of its raw materials from do- mestic markets and neighbouring countries. Yet this does not suffice to cover the total volumes required. ‘In recent months we have adjusted our purchasing strat- egy to the geopolitical situation. We are now securing more coal from Australia, Colombia and the USA,” says René Matscheko, CEO of voestalpine Rohstoffbeschaf- fung – raw material sourcing – , adding that “The cur- rent world political situation has shown how rapidly op- erating conditions can change in the logistics process. When sanctions against Russia came into force, that closed a major market for us and we needed to replace it rapidly. Now we are in process of expanding our raw material procurement still more resiliently.”
The Port of Hamburg plays an important part here. Four years ago, voestalpine decided to import some
Ores and coal come to voestalpine AG to a large extent from Hamburg.
© voestalpine