Mr. Gianpietro Benedetti was appointed Chairman and CEO of the Danieli Group. Danieli increased its market share in China with regard to flat products (e.g. Tangshan, Handan, Benxi, Tonghua, Anyang, Shaoguan) and started up several thin slab casting plants, setting the worldwide production record of 3.25 Mtpy with a 2-strand TSC at TISCO. Thanks to these successful start-ups Danieli definitively ranks among the leading suppliers of hot and cold rolling plants and processing lines for flat products. A second Casttgrind® plant for grinding of hot stainless steel slabs was supplied to Outokumpu Stainless. The most advanced conticasters for stainless steels were supplied and commissioned at Acciaierie Valbruna and NAS (Acerinox), with excellent performances in terms of surface and internal quality.

The modernized rail mill at VAS Donawitz, Austria, and the minimill for special steels at Baosteel Shanghai No.5, were started up. At Deacero, Mexico, a Danieli EAF with the performance of 42 heats per day set a new record. Important orders for thick slab casters from Baosteel and Arcelor confirmed Danieli’s technological leadership. In 2004 Danieli entered the market for plants for seamless pipes and was awarded nine orders in four years.

The first orders for Direct Reduction plants, pelletizing plants and iron ore beneficiation facilities were acquired. 2005 was marked by the receipt of the order for the first QSP Quality Strip Production complex for quality coils in Russia for OMK. In 2006 Danieli started the construction of the first DRI-based minimill with hot DRI charging in the EAF. In 2007 Danieli started the world’s largest bloom caster, producing round blooms up to 700 mm. Tokyo Steel (Japan) ordered the largest EAF in the world: 420 t liquid steel capacity. In 2007 MMK-Atakas (Turkey) ordered from Danieli a high-tech QSP to produce 2.4 Mtpy of hot coils, through a 250-t EAF and two Thin Slab Casters, including a cold complex and strip processing lines. Posco (Korea) placed an order to substitute two SMS Demag thin slab casters with a single strand Danieli high-speed TSC.

Arvedi (Italy) ordered from Danieli the finishing line of the new endless hot strip plant and a high-tech cold mill complex, with a pickling / tandem mill and galvanizing line. Marcegaglia (Italy) ordered a new cold mill complex, including a tandem mill and galvanizing lines. To complement the range of machinery and plants for the pipe industry Danieli acquired W+K IndustrieTechnik (Germany), a leader in the design and manufacturing of plants for longitudinaland spiral-welded pipe mills for pipe diameters up to 3.2 m. A high-tech thick slab caster for stainless steels is supplied to TKS AS Terni (Italy). Danieli expands its production capacity by establishing three new fully owned production centers in Thailand and China reaching a total manufacturing area of 316,000 sqm, employing 3500 more people. New engineering and design departments were also started up in India, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Danieli Automation consolidates its capabilities in the design of high-tech automation and process control systems also for flat product mills with the startup of the OMK (Russia) minimill, entirely equipped with DA automation process control and electrical equipment, from scrap to finished coils. In 2008 Danieli received two important orders for two QSP plants, from Baosteel Meishan (P.R. of China) and from Severstal Lucchini (Italy).

The award of four PSP section mills consolidates the leadership of Danieli Morgårdshammar also in this sector. The successful startup of two conticasters for beam blanks up to 600 mm contribute to the acquisition of several orders for similar plants in the same year. Additional orders are acquired for two 2-Mtpy DRI plants, totaling four units in the last two years. Mr. Franco Alzetta is appointed COO of engineering and steel plantmaking.

The ABS steelmaking plant exceeds 1 Mtpy of special steel production.

In 2009 Danieli is awarded the first complete heavy structural mill for sections up to 1,000 mm in the Middle East by ESI (Abu Dhabi); for the same company the first 1.6-Mtpy Energiron DRI plant is started up reaching an actual production of up to 2 Mtpy.

The first ever endless casting- rolling long product micromill is successfully started up in the USA. The new generation TSC caster scores up to 340 tph of thin slab at Posco, Korea.

Mrs. Carla de Colle is appointed Chaiman and CEO of ABS.