brochure

Close co-operation with customers
Steel plays a central role in the most
important industrial value creation
chains in Germany. German steel-
makers work hand-in-hand with
their customers to harmonise en-
gineering requirements with mate-
rial specifi cations, optimise manu-
facturing technologies, and design
products with tailored strengths
and properties. Germany has more
leading automotive companies than
any other nation. Germany’s me-
chanical engineering sector is the
world champion in exports. More-
over, the steel industry is closely
meshed with the producers of metal
goods, most of whom are small and
medium-sized enterprises. These
include the steel-forming compa-
nies, the drawing plants and cold-
rolling works. Maintenance and
intensifi cation of the longstanding
relationships between the steel
companies and their development
partners is helping to sustain Ger-
many’s technological leadership,
making a decisive contribution to
customer loyalty and providing a
solid foundation for the future of
the industries in our country.
Germany’s dense industrial struc-
ture, particularly in the steel-inten-
sive sectors, gives Germany consid-
erable advantages as a location for
companies. This not only involves
logistics, but also an innovative lead
brought about by close co-operation
in research and development. Cus-
tomers make ever-increasing de-
mands on steel companies in order
to be able to maintain their position
in international competition as a
result of prompt deliveries and high
product quality. Together with their
customers, the steel industry is in-
creasingly working within a system
partnership on material-oriented
constructions and optimised pro-
duction techniques.
19