Innovation
Alongside the solid presence in the Energy, Steel and Shipping sectors, the Group developed the Innovation division, willing to endow itself with the capability of being at the edge of new frontiers.
Alongside the solid presence in the Energy, Steel and Shipping sectors, the Group developed the Innovation division, willing to endow itself with the capability of being at the edge of new frontiers.
DUFERCO IS COSTANTLY LOOKING AT NEW INITIATIVES ACROSS DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES AND BUSINESS AREAS: A STRICT SELECTION AND CONTROL ON THE COMPANIES RISK/REMUNERATION PROFILE, ASSURE TO FIND THE PERFECT FIT WITH THE GROUP PORTFOLIO AND STRATEGY.
INNOVATION DIVISION
Duferco Innovation division operates in a number of diversified activities within the Energy, Real Estate, Environment and Logistics sectors.
In 2019, the companies of this division invested around 789,000 euros, 78% of which in R&D activities, witnessing the willing of the Group to seek for new initiatives and opportunities across technologies and business areas.
Duferco Engineering is a group company providing engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, project management and O&M services to the Duferco Group as well as for third parties. It has its own core business in the Renewable Energy, Infrastructure and in the Industrial sectors.
Established in 2017, Duferco Dev is bringing Full Digital Evolution to its customers.
It is an international player in consulting and technology innovation.
Over 20 developers are working in a unique ecosystem to support companies in their path to digitization: enterprise application development, websites, mobile apps, software and complex customization.
Wide capabilities offered to customers: Digital Project Managers, Web&Graphic designers, Front End, Full Stack and Back End developers.
Duferco Dev is supporting Group companies in defining and implementing digital transformation. A few examples:
Duferco Energia: e-mobility technical solution definition and implementation; customization and creation of business application.
At Duferco Travi e Profilati, we created a digital platform to serve all business areas. Today, we are enhancing its functionalities, which includes DN digital transformation.
Interesting activities in Arlenico, where a production simulator was conceived and created to optimize production and customer satisfaction.
Mainsim is a software company based in Genoa, Italy. It produces the web application mainsim “what maintenance can be”, a computerized maintenance management system CMMS and computer aided facility management CAFM.
The application provides a method and web platform for all daily maintenance activities and work requests.
The application’s functionality includes asset management, work order management, time based and condition-based maintenance, collaboration, mobile and reporting.
Mainsim operates with several companies from different sectors including facility management and service provider, manufacturing, shipping, healthcare, hospitality, retail and oil&gas.
Duferco Wallonie, located in Belgium, focuses on three domains: brownfield, environment and logistics.
With its subsidiary Deep Green, offering services in soil cleaning, it employs 30 people.
The Brownfield branch of Duferco Wallonie is active in the reconversion of idled industrial sites. In total, Duferco owns about 320 hectares in Wallonia (Belgium).
The most advanced project is the reconversion of a former steel plant of 80 hectares located in Tubize, 20km south from Brussel. The remediation works are almost completed and the land is now close to being fully available for development.
Economic activities will be conducted on about 20 ha in partnership with the BW (Intercommunale du Brabant Wallon), an intermunicipal company specialized, inter alia, in developing economic parks.
In June 2016, the Walloon Government selected Duferco’s project as one of the “Quartiers Nouveaux” of Wallonia. More than just a recognition of the quality and modernity of the project, this selection was accompanied by the authorities’ support for the development of the site.
Another development is now under process on an area of about 12.6 hectares located on the edges of the canal. It aims at the development of an urban multi-functional area with housing, shops (mainly an Outlet Mall), community facilities (crèche, apartment services, health centre), urban agriculture and large public spaces, as well as the construction of a new urban boulevard at the entrance of the city of Tubize. After a long period of consultation with the authorities, the permit application was filed in October 2018. This major project creates a fully convivial urban link between the different districts of Tubize, historically separated by an industrial zone, and allows the old economic heart of the region to beat again for a brand-new life.
Duferco also owns an idled industrial site of 8.5 hectares in Flémalle, which is the heart of a Master Plan called “Flémalle-la-Neuve”, designed by the municipality. The project aims to convert the existing industrial area into a new area for housing and economic activities.
In the environmental business, Deep Green offers a complete brownfield management service, from the first audit and business case study to the implementation of the project. It has significantly extended its experience in soil cleaning by way of physicochemical and biological treatment. It also continues to develop and commercialize a patented soil remediation technology under the name Thermopile©, either on its own account or under a license agreement. The expertise and knowledge of Deep Green is known across the EU with a recent engineering project in the Russian oil fields.
Duferco Logistics, a Business Unit of Duferco Wallonie, is continuing its growth as an intermodal service provider on the route Antwerp-Brussels-Charleroi. The company operates two inland rail / barge terminals in Brussels and in La Louvière. These two terminals are connected to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam by Duferco’s container barge shuttle.
Duferco has already become the main intermodal operator on this route. In 2018, about 43,000 TEU were transported by inland waterways through this container shuttle, which represents a growth in volume of more than 40% compared to 2017. This volume represents the best performance ever at the two terminals. The service includes four departures per week from Brussels to Antwerp and three from La Louvière. In 2019, a second barge will be contracted to meet the increasing demand of the region in order to guarantee an even better service to our customers.
Garocentre Terminal is also an official depot for two major maritime companies (MSC & CMA/CGM). Since July 2018, a daily train connection between the main hub in the Port of Antwerp and Garocentre Terminal has been in operation. Complementary services to the barge transport of maritime containers are further proposed: container freight services, storage, warehousing, custom services and certified weighing.
Vanchem Vanadium is a facility in South Africa, that in November 2015 entered into voluntary business rescue in terms of Section 129 of the South African Companies Act.
Duferco Recycling and Media Steel are two companies operating respectively in Serbia and Italy in the scrap sector. Scrap commercialisation and distribution is a perfect upstream vertical integration of the activities of the industry division.
Key data
Investment division
TOTAL REVENUES IN 2019
TOTAL EQUITY
EMPLOYEES
Companies
List of companies operating in this division