Thy-Marcinelle,
Based in Charleroi since 1971 and acquired by the Italian Riva Group in 1989, the Thy-Marcinelle plant, today, has almost 445 employees and produces approximately 800,000 tonnes of steel per year. The company is a member of the Groupement de la Sidérurgie Group (a steel industry consortium) and caters to more than 32% of the Belgian market for electric furnace steel production.
Electric and Continuous Casting Production
Specialised in the electricity sector, our plant produces what we call “recycled” or “secondary” steel, i.e. steel manufactured from recovered steel. We also use the continuous casting method, which allows for a more efficient production process (30% more efficient). This method enables us to cast a product into its final form, thus reducing off-cuts and waste.
The Advantage of such a Steel Production Method
The use of such a method facilitates a sustainable and more environmentally-sound alternative to traditional blast furnace techniques. By reusing raw materials that have already been mined, recycled steel not only reduces waste volumes but also helps to conserve natural resources. What is more, electricity enables us to reduce our carbon emission levels, to a certain extent, and therefore our environmental footprint.
The advantage of electricity also lies in the flexibility and manoeuvrability of this form of energy, allowing us to ensure the safety of our facilities and, above all, the safety of our employees.
Continuous Improvement
We are continually investing in optimising our manufacturing processes so as to guarantee both quality and safety and to facilitate our plant’s environmental strategy. We also work closely with our suppliers to advance technology within our industry. The desire not only to create high-quality products but also to ensure, where possible, the well-being of our employees, is at the heart of this ongoing mission.
Our Values
Quality
We have placed innovation and technical development at the core of our steelworks, guaranteeing both tool quality and product quality.
Circularity
Our industry is able to operate within a circular economy, thanks to recycling-based production methods, inter alia.
Safety
Social responsibility is a priority for our company. We therefore continuously monitor the physical well-being of all the staff on our site.
Thy-Marcinelle, a Legacy Almost 3 Centuries Long
Construction
The story of Thy-Marcinelle, as we know it today, begins in the 18th century. The company was founded in 1763 in Thy-le-Château, following the discovery of iron ore deposits in the region. The site had a coal-fired blast furnace.
Expansion
Acquired in 1845 by Eugène Riche & Cie, the company underwent a period of expansion, making way for two new coke-fuelled blast furnaces, five reheating furnaces and a rolling mill. Iron production was replaced with steel making some years later, after the 1850s. Two coke furnaces were also commissioned along with the construction of a coke-fuelled plant in Marcinelle.
The Various Mergers
In 1988, Thy-le-Château merged with les Usines du Midi de Marcinelle, creating the Haux Fourneaux, Forges et Aciéries de Thy-le-Château et Marcinelle, after which all the factories were located in Marcinelle.
The steelworks took on the name Thy-Marcinelle in 1962, before becoming Thy-Marcinelle et Monceau (TMM) in 1966, following the merger with Aciéries et Minières de la Sambre. TMM was then acquired by Hainaut-Sambre which merged with Cockerill in 1981, becoming Cockerill-Sambre.
Acquisition by the Riva Group
Cockerill-Sambre decided to stop producing long products in 1989, in order to concentrate on the sheet metal sector and the Riva Group proposed the construction of a new steelwork plant, entailing the re-commissioning of Rolling Mill 3, which was physically cut-off from the site by the River Sambre and located in Dampremy. This decision allowed the decommissioning of a fully-operational plant to be avoided and around 200 jobs to be saved.
Now operating under its former name of Thy-Marcinelle, the new steelworks has an electric furnace and concentrates on the production of coiled steel wire rod, welded steel mesh and coiled steel for reinforced concrete.
