Roba Metals

What Roba Metals does

Roba Metals B.V. is a privately held, family-owned metal trading, processing, and recycling company headquartered in IJsselstein, Netherlands, founded in 1937 by Robert Baruch and Willy Cohn and now in its fourth generation of Cohn family ownership. The company operates across seven countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, South Korea, and the United States) through more than thirteen facilities including seven service centers, four aluminium smelters operated under the Roba Recycling division, and trading offices in Asia and North America. Its product portfolio spans steel, aluminium, stainless steel, non-ferrous metals, high-performance alloys, and architectural metals, complemented by master alloy production through wholly-owned subsidiaries Affilips (Belgium, 1976) and KBM Affilips (Netherlands, 1993-94).

The company's underlying technology is fundamentally physical rather than digital: in-house modern machinery for laminating, decoiling, grinding, plasma cutting, and waterjet cutting of metal sheets, with capability to produce stainless steel sheets up to 12.6 metres long, 2 metres wide, and 12 mm thick, plus quarto plates to 100 mm from stock. Roba Recycling operates four smelteries across the Netherlands and Belgium with a globally unique regulatory permission to process aluminium foils with up to 20% contamination via certified in-house laboratory testing. Certifications include EN 10204-3.1, EN 10204-3.2, EN-ISO 9001, and PED for pressure equipment applications.

Roba generates revenue through three streams: one-time metal product sales (steel, aluminium, stainless steel, non-ferrous, alloys) sold processed, from stock, or to order; processing services including cutting, grinding, laminating, and decoiling; and metal recycling fees for collection, certified testing, smelting, and sale of recycled aluminium ingots. GTM is sales-led via dedicated account managers offering personalized advice, flexible contract terms, and procurement risk management support. Customers span eight verticals including food, chemical, medical, transport, agriculture, architecture/construction, industrial/offshore, and European manufacturing. The distribution model is direct only — no third-party distributors — through service centers (regional) and trading offices (global procurement and US delivery), supplemented by pickup logistics for recycling collection.

Name

Roba Metals

Legal name

Roba Metals B.V.

Website

https://robametals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Roba Metals is a Dutch family-owned metal trader, processor, and recycler (founded 1937) operating seven service centers, four aluminium smelters, and trading offices across Europe, Asia, and the US, serving industrial customers in food, chemical, medical, construction, and offshore sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Trading and Processing

NAICS

Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (331314), Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492), Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing (3314)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Sheet Metal Work (3444), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel) (IMAKAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Secondary Aluminum Smelting & Recycling (Remelt) (IMAKACAD), Stainless Steel & High-Temperature Alloy Scrap (Stainless, Inconel, Titanium, Specialty Alloys) (IMAKAMAC), Industrial & Manufacturing Scrap Recycling (Factory Scrap, Turnings, Offcuts) (IMAKAMAE)

Keywords

• Metal trading
• Stainless steel supply
• Aluminium recycling
• Steel processing
• High performance alloys

Headquarters

HQ city

Ijsselstein

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Product Sales: Sale of metals including steel, aluminium, stainless steel, non-ferrous metals, and high-performance alloys. Products sold processed, from stock, or to order. Part of full supply chain management from procurement to processing.
2. Metal Processing Services: Processing services including cutting, grinding, laminating, and decoiling of metal sheets. Custom-cut materials with or without interleaving paper or film. Service center operations in Netherlands and Belgium.
3. Metal Recycling: Collection, processing, and recycling of metal production waste, particularly aluminium. Collection logistics, certified laboratory testing, smelting, and sale of recycled aluminium ingots to European producers. Unique capability to process contaminated aluminium foils.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Roba Metals manufactures, processes, and supplies semi-finished metal products including steel, stainless steel, aluminium, non-ferrous metals, and high-performance alloys to industrial customers across Europe, Asia, and North America. The company manages the full supply chain from international procurement through in-house processing (cutting, grinding, laminating, decoiling) to delivery, and operates four aluminium smelters that enable cradle-to-cradle recycling of production waste into new raw materials.

Product overview

Roba Metals is an independent, family-owned metal trading and processing company founded in 1937, operating across six countries worldwide. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of metal products organized into core product categories: Steel, Aluminium, Stainless Steel (RVS), Non-ferrous Metals, High Performance Alloys, and Architectural Metals. These are complemented by Roba Recycling services with four company-owned smelting facilities in the Netherlands and Belgium. The product portfolio includes processing capabilities through company Service Centers in IJsselstein and Genk, with facilities for cutting, grinding, and decoiling materials up to 12.6 metres in length. The Roba Group also includes subsidiary brands KBM Affilips (aluminium pre-alloys) and Affilips (copper and other alloy-based pre-alloys), as well as the Roba Metals Plate Center acquired in 2022 for stainless steel plate processing. Roba Metals USA represents the company's expansion into the American market in 2024. The company manages the entire supply chain from procurement and processing through to sales and logistics, with recent additions including online portal access for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roba Recycling: Metal recycling division specializing in collection, processing, and recycling of aluminium and other metals. Operates four smelters in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• KBM Affilips
• Affilips
• KBM Master Alloys
• Roba Metals Plate Center
• Roba Metals Amsterdam

Products and services

• Steel

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour standard delivery throughout the Netherlands and Benelux for standard dimensions
• +2 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Outokumpu PSC Aalten (now Roba Metals Plate Center)coreOthers · 1 January 2022Acquired in 2022, now the Roba Metals Plate Center specializing in stainless steel plate processing with plasma and waterjet cutting capabilities.
• Thomal (later Roba Metals Delfzijl)coreOthers · 1 January 2009Aluminium smelter acquired in 2009 and later renamed Roba Metals Delfzijl. Part of the recycling operations with aluminium smelting capabilities.
• Van der RijnminorOthers · 1 January 2006Acquired in 2006, a Belgian company specialized in non-ferrous metals. Strengthened Roba's position in non-ferrous metal trading.
• KBM (Kawecki Billiton Metaalindustrie)coreOthers · 1 January 1993Acquired in 1993-94 from difficulties, KBM is a producer of aluminium master alloys with factories in Delfzijl and Oss. KBM operates closely with Affilips under the KBM Affilips brand.
• AffilipscoreOthers · 1 January 1976Acquired in 1976, Affilips is a Belgian producer of copper, aluminium, nickel, zinc, and lead-based master alloys. Now part of the Roba Group, it operates facilities in Tienen, Belgium.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves19 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aperam: Integrated stainless steel producer with service-center distribution in Europe. Comparable stainless steel plate and sheet business to Roba Metals Plate Center / stainless steel products (Roba acquired Outokumpu PSC Aalten).
• SSAB: Nordic-based specialty and structural steel producer expanding into fossil-free steel. Comparable specialty carbon/stainless steel mill-and-service-center configuration to Roba's steel and HPA customer base.
• Voestalpine: Austrian integrated specialty steel producer with metal processing and high-performance alloy activities. Comparable high-performance alloy and specialty stainless/steel product overlap for industrial customers.
• Norsk Hydro: Global integrated aluminium company spanning bauxite, alumina, primary smelting, extrusions, and recycling. Comparable broad incumbent on the aluminium value chain, including recycled aluminium, similar to Roba's smelting-led recycling model.
• Outokumpu: Largest European stainless steel producer; the source of the Outokumpu PSC Aalten plate-processing center Roba acquired in 2022. Direct counterpart for stainless steel supply to Roba's stainless service centers.
• ThyssenKrupp Materials Services: One of Europe's largest materials distribution and service-center networks handling carbon steel, stainless, aluminium, and non-ferrous. A scaled broad incumbent operating the same metal service-center model as Roba across a wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• KME Group: European copper and copper-alloy semis manufacturer and distributor with value-added service-center capabilities. Comparable non-ferrous semis focus and European service-center footprint similar to Roba's Affilips and service-center network.
• Wieland Group: Producer and distributor of semi-finished non-ferrous products (copper, copper alloys, brass) with service-center distribution in Europe and North America. Comparable to Roba's Affilips non-ferrous semis and service-center model.
• Klöckner & Co: European-headquartered multi-metal distribution and service-center group with processing (cutting, slitting) and stockholding of steel, aluminium, and stainless. Closest analog to Roba's combination of trading, service-center processing, and recycled-metal positioning in Europe.
• AMAG Austria Metall: Austrian producer of aluminium cast and rolled products with significant recycled-content input (casting alloys). Analogous to Roba's aluminium semis trading plus recycling/smelting operations under Roba Recycling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCHXah3Xidtxrx54pZw7F6Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/robametals

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Roba Metals