Salzgitter has started building a new scrap shredder

On September 1, 2025, a ceremony was held at the site of the subsidiary DEUMU Deutsche Metall- und Erz-Union GmbH in Salzgitter (Germany) to mark the start of construction of a new large shredder for processing steel scrap. The project is worth around €30 million and aims to ensure better preparation of secondary raw materials for steelmaking. This is stated in the company’s press release.

Scrap is already an important resource today, both for traditional production schemes using blast furnaces and converters, and for electric arc furnaces. At the same time, its importance will only grow as the steel industry moves towards reducing CO2 emissions. That is why Salzgitter AG has started construction to support the SALCOS (Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking) program, which is scheduled to start in the first half of 2027.

In preparation for this, DEUMU, in collaboration with the company’s scientific and production departments, has developed a new type of scrap metal – “Schrottsorte 4 SALCOS” – which meets the requirements of the future production process. The launch of the shredder is synchronized with the commissioning of the first stage of SALCOS.

“The construction of a new large shredder is an important step towards making even more efficient use of secondary resources. This is our contribution to sustainable development and promotes the production of green steel,” said DEUMU Director Sandrine Zivertingbeck.

The partners in the project are German equipment manufacturer Lindemann GmbH and Belgian company Lybover. The construction of the unit will require 112 tons of structural steel manufactured by Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, which is also part of the Salzgitter AG group.

It should be noted that in 2024, Salzgitter increased its steel production by 11.9% compared to 2023, to almost 6.4 million tons. The company’s external sales last year fell to €10 billion compared to €10.8 billion in 2023 due to lower average revenues for steel products and a weak order book in the steel processing division.