Outokumpu's business and business units
Outokumpu's product range covers both standard and special grades and products. The Group's main production facilities are efficient integrated stainless steel mills located in Tornio, Finland and Avesta, Sweden. There is also a production route from the Sheffield melt shop in the UK to several long product and plate production units in Sweden, the UK and the US.
Outokumpu is one of the top players in the global stainless steel market with a European market share of 17%.
Outokumpu's organisation serves customers in an optimal way. Group Sales and Marketing is organised into customer industry-based groups, and Group production operations are organised into two divisions based on the type of product: General Stainless and Specialty Stainless. Group Sales and Marketing, a cross-organisational function, is responsible for the Group's commercial targets while Supply Chain Management is responsible for end-to-end delivery performance. The Group also has a comprehensive network of sales companies, service centres and sales agents in some 70 countries.
Outokumpu's strategy aims at achieving a more stable and profitable business model by increasing the share of sales to end-user and project customers. Read more about strategy.
A significant share of the Group's sales is going to distributors, re-rollers and tubemakers. These segments continue to be essential for the Group's total business, while Outokumpu is looking for growth in value-adding end-user segments such as various industrial uses, construction, and catering and appliances. As a supplier for project applications, market segments such as pulp and paper, desalination plants, and oil and gas are central to the Group's development.
| 1 000 tonnes | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
| Cold rolled | 545 | 739 | 703 |
| White hot strip | 263 | 330 | 314 |
| Quarto plate | 67 | 120 | 146 |
| Tubular products | 53 | 70 | 65 |
| Long products | 40 | 55 | 54 |
| Semi-finished products | 63 | 109 | 137 |
| Total deliveries | 1 030 | 1 423 | 1 419 |
Three main types of stainless steel
Stainless steel is made of iron by adding chromium. All stainless steel grades contain a minimum of 10.5% of chromium. Chrome gives stainless steel its corrosion resistance.
The main grades of stainless steel are:
- Austenitic (typically 18% chromium and 8% nickel)
- Ferritic (chromium up to 24%, no nickel)
- Ferritic-austenitic (1.5–5% nickel)
Outokumpu's duplex steel grades are ferritic-austenitic, contain only small amounts of nickel, and are very strong and corrosion resistant.