Outokumpu is currently in the process of divesting the Terni (AST) operations in Italy as required by the European Commission.
Finnish based Outokumpu acquired this Italian producer of stainless steel on its acquisition of the stainless Division of Thyssen Krupp late last year.
Aperam publicly announced their intention to form an Italian joint venture to pursue the Terni operations.
Aperam is a global player in stainless steel with 2.5Mt of flat stainless steel capacity in Europe and Brazil. The Company is also a leading producer of high value-added specialty products, including electrical steel and nickel alloys. It has production facilities in Brazil, France and Belgium and a network of 19 Service Centres.
Outokumpu welcomes the interest on Terni (AST). However, there are said to be several other interested parties and interested buyers, and therefore no decisions have been made yet.