SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar (SHS) acquires Liberty Ascoval and Liberty Rail Hayange

With the support of stakeholders and public officials, SHS’s takeover of the Ascoval and Hayange plants will enable the forward-looking human and industrial concept for the future of the Nord and Moselle regions to be implemented. SHS focuses on the production of high-quality European green steel and is proud to be able to work together with the workforces of Ascoval and Hayange to realise this concept.

Linked to France since the 17th century, the SHS Group can count on its leading position, particularly in the production of high-quality, high-tech steel bars and wire rod, as well as on the support of its owner, the Montan-Stiftung-Saar trust, which guarantees the alignment of the Group’s activities with its mission of safeguarding the Saarland steel industry model.

"We are proud that our industrial concept for the takeover of Ascoval and Hayange has been validated and can now be implemented. This integration is fully in line with our growth and diversification strategy. These two plants have a unique position within the SHS Group. They allow us to develop new activities and to strengthen our competitiveness in line with our ongoing structural transformation process", says Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Chairman of the Management Board of SHS.

Three principles structure the new common concept of Ascoval, Hayange and SHS:

– As backbone of the production of green steel, Ascoval combines the circular economy with a new technology with low CO2-emissions that is recognised and approved by respected customers: the electric arc furnace, which enables the production of state-of-the-art steel with a neutral carbon footprint.

– Hayange is a key asset of the SHS Group, contributing to the European strategy of ecological transition of mobility-thanks to the production of railway infrastructure products, which are essential for the development of sustainable mobility solutions.

– For their part, Ascoval and Hayange will gain access to new business fields, such as the automotive sector, and geographical markets, thanks to the SHS Group’s worldwide sales network.

Mr. Jonathan Weber, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and member of the Boards of SHS and Saarstahl, said: "The alliance between Ascoval, Hayange and Saarstahl within the SHS Group opens up promising prospects, thanks to the real complementarity of the know-how, production and innovation capacities and commercial opportunities of each. We look forward to a rapid and efficient integration of these two new plants within the Group, in full accordance with our strategy."