The metal racks for industrial warehouses are made of steel due to its physical-chemical properties that, combined with an appropriate design of the rack structure, allow it to support the heavy loads required in palletized warehouses.
But European steel has seen its competitiveness threatened against external competitors due, among other factors, to the higher cost of energy and stricter environmental regulations required within the European Union.
With forecasts in the global steel market, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), of a 67% increase in demand in 2025, the EU has been forced to take measures to counteract the obstacles current in European production.
Thus, in June 2013 the European Commission presented the European steel plan, which aims, before the end of 2013, to review and adapt the regulatory burdens that may affect the competitiveness of the sector.
Another of the key objectives of this plan is to guarantee affordable energy costs, given the rise in prices that has been occurring in recent years within the EU, and taking into account that electricity consumption can represent 40% of the costs of steel production.
In addition to energy expenditure, we must add the costs associated with CO2 emissions, with the iron and steel industry responsible for 30% of total emissions. Faced with this, the European steel plan aims to stimulate R&D and energy efficiency, thus promoting environmentally friendly technologies and increasing their profitability, without having to go back on environmental regulations.
However, European steel enjoys an advantage over other producers, mainly Asian, and that is that, already in 2008, countries like Spain and Turkey produced almost 90% of their steel from recycled material. Steel can be recycled without losing its properties and more cost-effectively, freeing producing countries from part of their dependence on iron ore.
ATOX Storage Systems only uses high-quality steel in the manufacture of its metal racks, guaranteeing the best technical performance.