In addition to being Germany’s largest steel producer, thyssenkrupp Steel is also the country’s second-largest logistics provider, with 142 million tons transported. In the future, this company section will be developed more effectively to participate more strongly in the logistics market, particularly on the strategically important Rhine water axis. As part of its Strategy 20-30, thyssenkrupp Steel has decided to position the port unit as a thyssenkrupp subsidiary, independent of the steel business.
thyssenkrupp Steel Logistics GmbH, which will initially be a wholly-owned subsidiary with 300 employees, will become independent at the beginning of July 2022. The complete port complex comprising the Schwelgern plant port, to which raw materials are delivered, and the Walsum port, where general cargo is handled and associated units, will be transferred to the new company.
Being a smaller unit than the Steel segment, the new logistics subsidiary can quickly adapt to changes. “This valuable ‘Logistics‘ resource can utilise its capacities to the full if other parties can also use it on the market. We see high development potential for the logistics sector in autonomy and higher job security, especially against the transformation background “, says Dr Heike Denecke-Arnold, COO of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. ”
Once steel production in Duisburg has been switched from the conventional blast furnace route to direct reduction using hydrogen, large parts of materials supplies will no longer be needed: coal, for example, which is transported by ship on the Rhine to the Schwelgern port. This would unlock additional capacity. Tube / Hall 3 / C28