Dynamic Steel Producer Opening New Rolling Mill

Dojran Steel Macedonia, a subsidiary of the Sidenor Group (Greece), launched production in 2006 and has established a strong reputation as a provider of top-quality steel products for a variety of uses. Its products include cut-to-length rebars, hot-rolled square and round bars, black and galvanised welded wire mesh, prefabricated stirrup cages, cupper coated electrodes and lattice girders.

Michail Konstantinidis, General Manager, explains, “There was a decline in the construction sector because of the crisis in 2008, but Dojran Steel Macedonia has been producing at the same level every year from 2008 onward. We mainly produce steel bars for Macedonia and Kosovo as well as a smaller quantity of exports to Serbia. We also produce various types of merchant bars which we export mainly to Greece and North Africa; this production complements our merchant bars produced in the Sidenor Group’s plant in Thessaloniki, Greece.”

New galvanizing equipment

In addition to producing merchant bars in its rolling mill, Dojran Steel Macedonia has added galvanized mesh for fences, prefabricated stirrup cages and copper-coated wire electrodes to its product portfolio. Michail Konstantinidis points out, “We will continue to produce galvanized products employing the specialised equipment which we acquired from 2008 to 2011.”

Dojran Steel Macedonia’s plant is strategically located in Nikolic on Lake Dojran, around 80 km from Thessaloniki. Thanks to this location, the plant can easily access raw materials as well as transport its production throughout Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and beyond at low costs. The plant includes a steel-long-products rolling mill with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons; a production unit to manufacture steel structural mesh with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons; a production unit for steel lattice girders with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons; and various warehouses and offices.

New merchant-bar rolling mill

Michail Konstantinidis says that Dojran Steel Macedonia continues to expand and already started an investment, a new merchant-bar rolling mill which will begin producing in mid-2015. Thanks to this new facility, Dojran Steel Macedonia will be able to produce the complete range of small to medium-sized merchant bars with a higher value. “The total investment in the new rolling mill will be around €10 million and we are partially financing it from our own resources. This will position Dojran Steel as the Sidenor Group’s specialised producer of merchant bars,” Michail Konstantinidis explains. This specialisation is in line with the Sidenor Group’s new strategy to make each company in the group a specialist in a certain type of manufacturing in order to boost the group’s efficiency, reduce costs and achieve higher profits.

The new rolling mill will also enhance Dojran Steel Macedonia’s role as the only producer of merchant bars in the Balkans region. Michail Konstantinidis says,

“Our clients will benefit from higher-quality products at affordable prices. We also plan to launch an ‘all-inclusive’ offer by producing all kinds of merchant bars in a single rolling mill. Dojran Steel Macedonia has the expertise to do this, which sets us apart from our competitors.”

The new rolling mill will increase Dojran Steel’s production capacity from 200,000 tons to 500,000 tons annually. The company is currently producing 50,000 tons, so it has plenty of room to grow. “Our markets already expect us to deliver 120,000 tons,” Michail Konstantinidis explains. Handling its own exports of merchant bars, Dojran Steel Macedonia plans to target Greece, North Africa and Western Europe. Michail Konstantinidis says, “With our new rolling mill for merchant bars, we aim to increase our markets and customers and to expand even more. We will also add to our range of products and further improve our quality, which is already very high. We will focus on higher value and more profits.” He expects Dojran Steel Macedonia to compete effectively with other producers in the region, for example in Turkey, through offering a full range of products at attractive prices.

Protecting the environment and supporting the community

Protecting the environment and contributing to corporate-social-responsibility initiatives are priorities for Dojran Steel Macedonia and for the Sidenor Group as a whole. Dojran Steel has obtained IPPC certification for environmental protection and supports a number of community-service projects in nearby Nikolic. “In the future we hope that we will be even more present in the local community,” Michail Konstantinidis says.

Dojran Steel is already an important local employer and Michail Konstantinidis praises his Macedonian workers as well as the supportive Macedonian government. He says, “When we first opened the plant in Macedonia, our local workers did not know much about safety measures but they showed excellent dedication to the company. We have been training them steadily, and their new skills and continued dedication are big factors in Dojran Steel’s success.”

Certifications

Dojran Steel Macedonia is certified with ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14001 for environmental management, ISO 18001 for occupational health and safety and ISO 50001 for energy management.