The German stakeholders of Hüttenwerke Krupp-Mannesmann (HKM), thyssenkrupp Steel and Salzgitter, are in discussions with Vallourec, the third owner, regarding the potential transfer of its stake in the Duisburg-based mill. Salzgitter, holding a 30% stake compared to thyssenkrupp Steel's 50%, is showing interest in acquiring Vallourec's 20% share due to its involvement in similar tube-related activities. Vallourec, a French company that closed its German plants last year, is likely to divest its stake in HKM as it aligns with its operational decisions.

Although the plan to sell Vallourec's stake has not been officially confirmed, Salzgitter's executives anticipate its realization. Salzgitter's CEO, Gunnar Groebler, expressed Salzgitter's commitment to HKM and ongoing discussions with Vallourec, emphasizing that thyssenkrupp Steel holds the primary decision-making power regarding HKM's future.

Salzgitter remains optimistic about its tubes business, particularly in large line pipe segments, compared to precision pipe products primarily serving the automotive sector, which faced challenges in 2023 and continues to be demanding in 2024. The company anticipates enhanced utilization in the second half of the year for large-diameter pipes used in pipelines, with numerous project bids in progress. Tubes form part of Salzgitter's Steel Processing unit, which also encompasses heavy plate production. In 2023, the unit recorded an order intake of €2.22 billion, down from €2.75 billion in 2022, while shipments decreased from 1.57 million tonnes to 1.46 million tonnes.