Italy-based steelmaker Feralpi Group has decided to convert the activity of its Fer-Par site in Nave (Brescia), which will switch from the production of merchant bar and special profiles to the cold processing of construction steels (rebar and mesh). This was announced by the parent company, which affirmed that the current employment levels will be maintained; first with the use of a temporary redundancy fund procedure, then with the possibility for employees to be transferred to other plants of the group in Lonato and in Calvisano. The operation, with the dismantling of the plants and the installation of the new lines, is expected to last throughout 2021 and will require an investment of several million euros.
The Nave site will pass under the control of Presider, another part of Feralpi Group which, in addition to the headquarters in Borgaro Torinese (Turin), has a factory in Maclodio (Brescia), one in Pomezia (Rome) and one in Paris. Presider has been active since 1985, it employs 190 people, processes 150,000 mt of pre-shaped steel every year and represents the point of contact between Feralpi Group steel and the international market for large-scale works.
Giuseppe Pasini, president of the group, explained that, compared to 2016, when Feralpi acquired the Nave plant from bankrupt Stefana, "market conditions have changed, and the consumption of merchant bar and special profiles for elevators has been declining." Thanks to the site conversion, he continued, "we will be able to best intercept all the opportunities that will derive from the relaunch of infrastructural works, thanks also to the objectives and resources made available by the European Recovery Fund. Europe has been called on to develop ever more modern, safe and efficient works. Italy, in particular, has some ground to make up and will be able to do so thanks also to the European funds." Feralpi's president underlined that the company is already present in many construction works, including the Viaduc du Littoral, the new stadium in Lyon, the Piedmont Region Tower and the new Belfiore train station in Florence, while it has recently acquired some important orders, including the supply of steel for the Brenner tunnel.