Stemcor chooses Antwerp port as European hub
Stemcor, the largest independent steel handler in the world, has signed a long-term contract with Katoen Natie for handling and storage of steel in the port of Antwerp, the Port Authority news release said.
The steel will be stored in a specially built distribution centre, enabling Stemcor to serve its European customers efficiently. The choice of Katoen Natie – and the port of Antwerp – was based on a business analysis aimed at optimising the entire supply chain, from steel plant to customer. “Our inland location in the heart of Europe, bringing shippers close to the European consumers, together with our outstanding expertise as the European steel port, are advantages that lead customers such as Stemcor to opt for the port of Antwerp,” declared Luc Arnouts, Chief Commercial Officer of Antwerp Port Authority.
Stemcor aims to develop Antwerp into its central, European hub. “This will enable us to serve customers even more efficiently,” explained Robert Van der Weck, manager of Stemcor. “These customers are situated within a radius of 650 kilometres of the port of Antwerp, resulting in shorter delivery times. By further providing a number of added value services, such as cutting and handling, we are able to offer our customers even more choice.” Stemcor also has local warehouses in France, Germany and Scandinavia, giving it even greater flexibility in reacting to customers' requirements.
As the European market leader the port of Antwerp handled more than 10 million tonnes of steel in 2011. Thanks to the more than 250 regular breakbulk calls per month there is a large and highly varied range of overseas connections, both deepsea and shortsea. Nearly all the big steel producers ship their products through Antwerp, including coils, sheets, long iron, tubes and non-ferrous products. In addition, several Antwerp service providers are certified by the London Metal Exchange for storage of non-ferrous products including among others copper, zinc, aluminium and lead.
