100th Annual Report 2006-2007 - Tata Steel

Blast furnaces at Corus’ integrated steel works at Scunthorpe, UK
named after Britain’s Four Queens.
Millbank in London
where Corus’ head
office is located.
Corus operations
Corus’ main steelmaking operations are located in the UK and
the Netherlands with other plants located in Germany, France,
Norway and Belgium. Corus produces carbon steel by the basic
oxygen steelmaking method at three integrated steelworks in
the UK at Port Talbot, Scunthorpe and Teesside, and at one in
the Netherlands at IJmuiden. Engineering steels are produced
in the UK at Rotherham using the electric arc furnace method.
Corus estimates that, as at 30 December 2006, it was the ninth
largest steel producer in the world and produced 18.3 mt of
crude steel in 2006 (equivalent to 18.8 mt of liquid steel).
Corus has four main operating divisions; Strip Products, Long
Products, Distribution & Building Systems and Aluminium, each
being the responsibility of an individual Executive Committee
member. The activities of each division are organised into
individual business profit centres, each of which has its own
managing director who, with the respective management
team, has responsibility for the performance of that business.
Corus has sales offices, stockholders, service centres and joint
venture or associate arrangements in a number of markets for
distribution and further processing of steel products. These are
supported by various agency agreements. There is an extensive
network in the EU while outside the EU Corus has sales offices
in around 30 countries, supported by a worldwide trading
network.
Market focus
Corus delivers innovative solutions, differentiated products,
reliable service and sound technical advice to its customers
around the world. Principal end markets for Corus’ steel products
are the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical and
electrical engineering, metal goods, and oil and gas industries.
Construction is the largest market sector for Corus, with a
strong position in commercial and industrial construction. New
opportunities are being explored in areas, which show growth
potential such as residential, health and education. Corus is
a leading supplier to the automotive sector and is the third
largest supplier to this sector in Europe.
Europe, principally the EU, is the most important market for
Corus, accounting for 80% of total turnover in 2006. Corus’ steel
divisions accounted for 91% of total turnover in this period.
Corus’ principal divisional activities:
Strip Products Division
Corus Strip Products IJmuiden and Corus Strip Products UK
Hot rolled steel strip and cold rolled and metallic coated steel
Corus Packaging Plus
Light gauge coated steel for packaging and non-packaging
applications
Corus Tubes
Steel tubes, hollow sections, linepipe and pipeline project
management
Corus Colors
Pre-finished steels
Corus Special Strip
Plated precision strip products with specialist finishes
Cogent Power
Electrical steels and transformer cores
Long Products Division
Corus Construction & Industrial
Plate, sections, wire rod and semifinished steel, special profiles,
railway products and services
59