A Year-End Overview with President Emanuele Morandi and Sales Coordinator Nicola Zamboni

Embracing innovation through “servitization” and identifying new market niches—these have been the cornerstones of Morandi Steel’s strategy in navigating the complexities of 2024. Despite a challenging landscape, the company has remained steadfast in its commitment to achieving the ambitious goals set at the start of the year.

By the end of the year, Morandi Steel will have sold approximately 10,000 tons of materials, in line with its initial projections. “Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and market uncertainty,” noted Nicola Zamboni, Sales Coordinator at Morandi Steel, “we successfully maintained a strong order book throughout the first half of the year. However, demand softened in the second half, with a more pronounced decline in the last three months”.

While sales volumes held steady, revenue took a hit due to persistent price volatility. “Steel prices have followed a continuous downward trajectory, and projections indicate that this trend will likely continue, bringing prices close to pre-pandemic levels” Zamboni explained. Looking ahead to 2025, expectations point to a difficult start, but there is optimism for a rebound in the latter half of the year. “We foresee a market recovery after the initial months, fueled in part by the deployment of significant resources from the PNRR for seismic retrofitting—an area where our products play a crucial role” Zamboni concluded.

The evolving steel industry landscape is also reshaping “the role of entrepreneurs” according to President Emanuele Morandi. “Today, business leaders must act as connectors, piecing together signals from the market to form a clear strategic vision. Downstream markets are in constant flux, and as Service Centers, we must anticipate shifts and adapt swiftly to remain competitive”.

To stay ahead, Morandi Steel has undertaken a significant internal restructuring, reinforced by investments in training, digitalization, and Business Intelligence (BI). “These efforts will enable us to enhance quality and drive innovation, both in our products and processes” Morandi emphasized. As for 2025, the company anticipates “a continued slowdown in certain steel-consuming sectors, at least in the first half of the year. However, we are well-positioned to weather these challenges thanks to a strong financial foundation”.

The most pressing challenges stem from “the structural slowdown of the Italian and European industrial fabric, compounded by fierce low-cost competition from China and the technologically advanced push from the United States. To navigate this turbulent landscape, we can draw guidance from the strategic vision outlined in the Draghi Report—one that embraces both a long-term perspective and a broad-scope approach” Morandi concluded.