With the official opening of the stainless steel mill in Kapfenberg, voestalpine has set a new technological record in the production of high performance raw materials for the future.
The steel mill, which ranks as number one globally in terms of digitalisation and sustainability, is the first of its kind that has been built in Europe within four decades. This investment comes with significant economic impulses for the region. The plant has a capacity to produce 205,000 tonnes of specialised steel every year for customer groups with advanced requirements.
Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG, says:
“Today's opening of the stainless steel mill in Kapfenberg is a historic moment and a decisive technological step for the voestalpine corporation, with which we can further strengthen our position among our global competitors. At the same time, this large investment contributes to the long-term maintenance of economic wealth and jobs in the region.”
With the creation of the new plant comes security for approx. 3,500 jobs at the Styrian voestalpine sites in Kapfenberg and Mürzzuschlag (voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl, voestalpine Böhler Aerospace and voestalpine Böhler Bleche), 150 of which will be held by employees right in the new plant.
Franz Rotter, member of the board at voestalpine AG and head of the High Performance Metals Division, says:
“The comprehensive know-how of our experts on site was the determining factor why we chose Kapfenberg as the site for our new stainless steel mill. My special thanks go to all employees who have worked so hard over the last months and years to make today’s opening of this project of a century possible, and will continue to give their best every day to further strengthen our leading position as a producer of steel for the manufacture of tools and of specialised steels.”
The plant is characterised by a high degree of digitalisation which requires first-class training. Around 8,000 items of process data information are continually being registered, implemented and analysed, while all melting processes are controlled from a central control room. The qualification of employees in areas like robotics, sensor technology and data analysis is guaranteed by the company’s own competence centre for digitalisation.
Training of future experts already takes place in a state-of-the-art training centre in Kapfenberg that focuses on a digitalised work sphere. In order to guarantee training for experts on site, a new trainee campus for 60 trainees is being erected, which is planned to be finalised in the autumn of 2025.
Another focus of the new stainless steel mill is sustainability and the environmentally friendly production of steel. This includes introducing heat from the melting aggregates into the local district heating network, closed cooling circuits and a high energy efficiency. The electric arc furnace, the core of the plant, will be operated solely with electricity from renewable sources.
The investment started in the year 2018 and has reached approx. € 467 million. Originally, the investment plan covered € 350 million, but due to challenges arisen during the Covid-19 pandemic and supply problems with key components produced by suppliers, this figure had to be adjusted. The six years of investment have significantly impacted the economy at a national and regional level, as shown by a study of the institute for industrial science Industriewissenschaftliches Institut in September 2023.
The establishment of the new plant leads to a value creation of approx. € 350 million, € 230 million of which are flowing into Styria. During the construction phase, the investment also secures not only 3,500 jobs at the Styrian voestalpine sites in Kapfenberg and Mürzzuschlag, but also approx. 2,500 jobs in Styria and more than 4,200 jobs in all of Austria.
