SIJ Group

What SIJ Group does

SIJ Group (SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.) is Slovenia's largest steel producer and a publicly listed group operating 33 subsidiaries with more than 3,500 employees. The group operates a fully electric arc furnace (EAF) production platform fed by 100% recycled steel scrap, a position it has held since closing its last blast furnace in 1987, making it one of the longest-running pure-scrap specialty steel producers in Europe. SIJ holds top-3 EU positions in tool steels and stainless thick plate and a top-10 global position in industrial knives, serving OEMs in aerospace, automotive, energy, oil & gas, heavy machinery, transport, defense, and tooling. Approximately 87.6% of revenue is exported across 70+ countries, with Germany and Italy as primary markets.

SIJ produces specialty steel long products, flat products, and engineered knife steel through ten distinct product brands, supported by an integrated value chain covering scrap processing, melting, hot rolling, heat treatment, finishing, and tool steel service centers. Production volumes reached 433,100 metric tons in FY2025. The group has invested in next-generation process technology, including hydrogen-ready heating furnaces and an active microwave-plasma research collaboration, and markets a low-CO₂ product line under the Green² brand launched in October 2025, backed by ResponsibleSteel certification (2024) and a published EPD/LCA library.

SIJ's commercial model is B2B enterprise sales of certified specialty steel to industrial OEMs, with revenue priced off steel market benchmarks plus grade, size, and quality premia. Revenue is overwhelmingly international and currency-mix sensitive (notably EUR/USD given the SIJ Americas operation). FY2025 revenue was EUR 930 million, down 11.9% year-over-year, with EBITDA of just EUR 10.4 million (~1.1% margin) and a net loss of EUR 117.7 million against EUR 321 million of net financial debt. Following a March 2026 debt restructuring that extended maturities to end-2028, the group announced a comprehensive business transformation in June 2026 — including ~300 headcount reductions (~9% of the Slovenian workforce), a leaner operating model, and an active search for a strategic partner — alongside a USD 22.5 million revolving facility for SIJ Americas to support U.S. expansion.

Name

SIJ Group

Legal name

SIJ - Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.

Website

https://sij.si

Company type

Public

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SIJ Group is Slovenia's largest steel producer and a top-3 EU manufacturer of tool steels and stainless thick plate, producing specialty and stainless steels from 100% recycled scrap in electric arc furnaces for aerospace, automotive, energy, oil & gas, and tooling OEMs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stainless and Special Steel Manufacturing

NAICS

Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing (3311), Primary Metal Manufacturing (331)

SIC

Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling & Finishing Mills (3310)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Alloy Steel (Stainless, Tool Steel, Electrical Steel, High-Strength/HSLA) (IMAKABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steel Service Centers & Processing (Slitting, Cut-to-Length, Blanking, Leveling) (IMAKABAL), Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers) (EUAIAJAJ)

Keywords

• Stainless steel manufacturing
• Special steel production
• Tool steel products
• Electric arc furnace steel
• Recycled steel products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ljubljana

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Steel Product Sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling stainless and special steels. Products organized into 10 product brands serving various industries including automotive, aerospace, energy, oil & gas, tooling, heavy machinery, transport, and defense. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales to industrial customers, with ~87.6% of sales from exports primarily to Germany and Italy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SIJ Group manufactures stainless and special steels from 100% recycled steel scrap using electric arc furnaces (EAF), producing tool steels, stainless steels, structural steels, electrical steels, and wear-resistant steels through 33 vertically integrated group companies. The company sells branded steel grades (e.g., SINOXX, SIQUAL, SIWATT, SIMAXX, SIDUR, SITHERM, SIHARD, SIMOLD, SIRAPID, SIPREME) plus the Green² sustainable steel line, serving industrial customers in aerospace, energy, oil & gas, automotive, tooling, heavy machinery, transport, and defense.

Product overview

SIJ Group is a leading European manufacturer of stainless and special steels, operating as Slovenia's largest vertically integrated metallurgical group. The company produces steel from recycled scrap metal in electric arc furnaces, operating for nearly 40 years under circular economy principles. Their product portfolio consists of 10 branded product lines organized under distinct trade names: SINOXX (stainless steels), SIQUAL (special carbon/alloy steels), SIWATT (electrical steels), SIMAXX (high-strength steels), SIDUR (wear-resistant steels), SITHERM (hot work tool steels), SIHARD (cold work tool steels), SIMOLD (mould steels), SIRAPID (rapid cutting steels), and SIPREME (premium steels for demanding applications). Additional specialized brands include PROTAC, SIKNIVES, SIROLLS, SIMATEC, and SILABS. The company also offers the Green² sustainable steel line with verified reduced carbon footprint using renewable energy. Steel products are supplied to industries including automotive, aerospace, energy, oil & gas, tooling, heavy machinery, transport, and defense. Production facilities include SIJ Acroni and SIJ Metal Ravne, both certified under ResponsibleSteel standard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green²: Sustainable steel brand launched in October 2025, offering low-carbon steel produced using renewable electricity with additional 20-40% CO2 emissions reduction. Features verified LCA and EPD documentation.
• SINOXX
• SIQUAL
• SIWATT
• SIMAXX
• SIDUR
• SITHERM
• SIHARD
• SIMOLD
• SIRAPID
• SIPREME
• SIKNIVES
• SIROLLS
• SIMATEC
• SILABS

Products and services

• SINOXX Stainless steel brand providing good machinability and high corrosion resistance for processing equipment, valves, machine parts, pump shafts, and precision components in corrosive environments.
• SIQUAL Special carbon and alloy steel brand for mechanical engineering applications requiring high performance and good workshop properties, used for springs, machine parts, gears, shafts, and welded structures.
• SIWATT Electrical steel brand for electric motors, generators, and power applications, suitable for electric vehicles, hybrid systems, industrial generators, and electrified construction equipment.
• SIMAXX High-strength steel brand with excellent strength-to-weight ratio enabling lighter vehicles with greater load capacity, improved fuel efficiency, and reduced emissions.
• SIDUR Wear-resistant steel brand designed for applications exposed to abrasion, impacts, and demanding operating conditions, used in buckets, excavator attachments, crushers, and mining equipment.
• SITHERM Hot work tool steel brand with excellent resistance to high temperatures, suitable for die casting tools, high-pressure die casting tools, cores, hot cutting, and extrusion tools.
• SIHARD Cold work tool steel offering high hardness and wear resistance, ideal for machining and cutting applications due to dimensional stability and toughness.
• PROTAC Steel brand for industrial applications within SIJ Group's branded product portfolio.
• SIMOLD Tool steel brand for moulds in plastic, synthetic resins, and rubber moulding, with good machinability, temperature resistance, and dimensional stability.
• SIRAPID High hardness and wear-resistant steel for cutting tools and cold-work applications.
• SIPREME Premium steel brand for specialized applications in oil, gas, and demanding industrial environments.
• SIKNIVES Steel brand for industrial knife applications requiring high hardness and wear resistance.
• SIROLLS Steel brand specifically designed for roll manufacturing applications.
• SIMATEC Technical steel brand for specialized industrial applications.
• SILABS Steel brand for laboratory and specialized technical applications.
• Green² Sustainable Steel Sustainable steel brand made from recycled steel scrap using electric arc furnaces with renewable electricity, providing 20-40% additional CO2 emission reduction compared to standard EAF production, with verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Steel produced from recycled scrap reduces CO2 emissions compared to blast furnace production from iron ore
• +4 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Olympic Committee of Slovenia (OKS – Združenje športnih zvez)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Joint project for installing outdoor steel gyms throughout Slovenia. SIJ Group donates steel gyms made by SIJ Ravne Systems employees. 27 gyms installed across Slovenia, 7 in the Koroška region.
• SchoenherrmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 March 2026International law firm that advised on the financial restructuring of SIJ Group's senior financial indebtedness. The restructuring involved EUR 330 million of bank debt and EUR 41 million of listed notes.
• Jadek & PensamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 March 2026Slovenian law firm that co-advised with Schoenherr on the financial restructuring of SIJ Group's senior financial indebtedness.
• KearneymajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 March 2026Management consulting firm that supported SIJ Group employees in developing a comprehensive set of over 45 transformation initiatives for company turnaround, supported by banks and owners.
• Strategic Partner (Search Ongoing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIJ Group is actively seeking a strategic partner as part of its business transformation and restructuring program. This is a key element of the company's turnaround strategy.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Voestalpine: Austrian steel major with a high-share specialty steel division (tool steels, special steels) serving automotive, energy, and industrial customers. Most direct European peer to SIJ given overlap in tool and specialty steel grades, direct B2B go-to-market, and EU-centric customer base.
• Outokumpu: Finnish-based global leader in stainless steel and a major European EAF producer using recycled scrap. Direct peer to SIJ in stainless steel plate and coil grades, with comparable sustainability positioning (low-carbon Circle Green product) and B2B industrial customer mix.
• Schmolz + Bickenbach (Swiss Steel Group): European specialty steel producer focused on tool steel, stainless long products, and engineering steel. Closely comparable to SIJ's Metal Ravne operation in product portfolio and customer base, particularly in tooling, automotive, and mechanical engineering applications.
• Acerinox: Spanish-headquartered global stainless steel manufacturer with EAF operations. Comparable to SIJ's Acroni facility in stainless flat product manufacturing, with similar export-oriented European customer mix and focus on high-value applications.
• Aperam: Luxembourg-based stainless and specialty alloys producer spun off from ArcelorMittal. Direct competitor in stainless plate and specialty grades serving European industrial customers, with strong sustainability and circular economy positioning analogous to SIJ's Green² brand.
• Bohler-Uddeholm (voestalpine subsidiary): Specialty tool steel producer within the Voestalpine group, the global benchmark for high-speed steel, plastic-mould steel, and high-performance tool steel grades. Directly comparable to SIJ's SIMOLD, SITHERM, SIHARD, and SIRAPID product brands in the tool steel segment.

Broad incumbents

• SSAB: Swedish steel producer with a leading position in high-strength structural and wear-resistant steels (Hardox, Strenx). Comparable to SIJ's SIMAXX and SIDUR brands and a peer in the broader European specialty/structural steel market, though SSAB also has a broader flat product portfolio.
• Salzgitter AG: German steel producer and tube manufacturer with significant European market presence. A broad incumbent peer serving overlapping automotive, energy, and industrial customer segments, though with a different product mix (more flat steel, more tubes).
• ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe: One of Europe's largest flat steel producers with significant German industrial customer base. Broad incumbent peer to SIJ given overlap in European OEM customer relationships, though SIJ operates in the higher-margin specialty steel segment while ThyssenKrupp is more commodity-exposed.
• ArcelorMittal: Global integrated steel major with significant European operations and a growing specialty/sustainability portfolio. A broader incumbent peer competing for some of SIJ's automotive and energy OEM customers, though at vastly larger scale and with very different BF-BOF cost structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sij-d-d-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIJ Group