VAI planning for expansion
TEESSIDE firm Siemens VAI has announced expansion plans on the back of a booming global steel market.
The company, which currently employs around 150 permanent and 70 temporary staff at its offices at Teesdale, has begun the search for “significantly larger” premises as it continues to grow.
The current Teesside office is home to the Siemens VAI Metals Technologies business which is a leading world supplier of blast furnace systems.
Director of ironmaking, Geoff Wingrove, said: “The business is experiencing the most successful time the company has had with the amount of major contracts on our books.
“We are currently building five new blast furnaces around the world - typically we’d be doing one.
“We are recruiting more people and we need to find new premises.”
The company is now looking for premises “significantly larger” than its current 25,000sq ft operations - which will be on Teesside.
“It’s essential to remain here,” added Mr Wingrove. “It’s the foundation of our business.
“We currently have staff split across two buildings and we want to bring everyone under one roof.”
At the end of last year Siemens VAI was commissioned to supply a plate mill to one of China’s leading steel producers. It is also working with Tata Steel to build a new blast furnace in Kalinganagar in the state of Orissa, eastern India.
Further work with Tata includes the re-build of a blast furnace at Jamshedpur, India.
The team is in the early stages of bidding for a major contract with Brazilian steel producer Usiminas.
The £100m project will be capable of producing an average 4.15 million tonnes a year.
Last year, Siemens VAI secured 19 contracts around the world for blast furnaces and continuous casting equipment
“There’s huge growth in the eastern economies,” added Mr Wingrove.
“The demand is high in India and China where infrastructure development is causing massive demand.
“There are also fantastic opportunities for us in Russia and the Ukraine.”
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