thyssenKrupp Steel Logistics GmbH, which was spun off in 2022, will be involved in a future partnership between thyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG and the duisport group, the company that owns and manages the Port of Duisburg in western Germany.
thyssenKrupp Steel Logistics, which employs around 300 staff members, owns an extensive port complex with the steel mill ports at Schwelgern and Walsum as well as adjoining facilities. It currently handles a volume of around 25 million tonnes a year. The duisport group will bring its many years of experience and know-how in the areas of port logistics, port and transshipment technology, as well as their digital transformation, to the table.
This collaboration will extend along the Rhine Corridor across logports I to VI and will include efforts to further develop and professionalise port and slab storage logistics. In operational terms, the partnership is expected to start in the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year, in part with the aim of responding flexibly to market fluctuations.
Due to the transformation of steel production at thyssenKrupp Steel resulting in changing material flows and shifting capacities at the port facilities, the plan is also to open the business to third-party customers in future.
thyssenKrupp Steel Logistics and duisport are jointly developing their business activities with a sense of responsibility for the Duisburg location and the region. Among other factors, the joint venture is still subject to the approval of the relevant merger oversight authorities and bodies.
Markus Bangen, CEO of duisport, explains:
“This joint venture offers both partners a unique opportunity to join forces, to work together in advancing the transformation of Europe’s largest steel and logistics location and to be a driver for the region and in turn for employment over the long term. Together, we want to do more to professionalise processes, utilise existing capacity, and unleash new business opportunities and expansion potential for the logistics market on the Rhine. We strongly believe that this collaboration will significantly strengthen our position as a central hub for logistics in the region.”
Markus Micken, who is responsible for logistics at thyssenKrupp Steel, also sounds a positive note on the successful process of establishing the partnership:
“It became clear early on how constructive the atmosphere for talks was and how this helped the collaboration between us take shape. With duisport at our side, we will continue to pool our logistics expertise on the banks of the Rhine for the benefit of the region. This will strengthen our expertise in this area and enable us to respond more quickly and flexibly to the needs of our customers and to market changes.”
