DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – German steel group Salzgitter wants to expand its business catering to the defence industry, its CEO Gunnar Groebler told Reuters on Friday.
“We’re broadly positioned with tempered sheet metals for the defence industry,” Groebler said.
Salzgitter also produces steel pipes used in the defence industry, he added.
Germany’s second largest steel producer is currently building an in-house defence task force, which would help it to position itself in the segment, its CEO said.
The company is also in the process of obtaining further licensing agreements with the German defence forces, Groebler said during a press conference.
Europe has come under increasing pressure to up its defence spending amid increasing hostility from Russia and threats from the U.S. to pull its support from NATO.
(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff, Writing by Isabel Demetz and Bernadette Hogg; Editing by Ludwig Burger)
