French export deal boosts Rotherham steel

Tata Steel’s Speciality Steels business in South Yorkshire has announced a long-term export agreement to supply aerospace steels to French firm Safran Group.

The five-year agreement gives Indian-owned Tata Steel responsibility for supplying all aspects of Safran’s aircraft-quality steel requirements worldwide, including remelted steels, both direct to Safran Group companies and to its sub-contractors.

The initial value of the contract is in excess of £9 million per year, with prospects for this to grow during the life of the agreement.

Paris-based Safran’s subsidiaries include Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, who chose Rotherham made steel for the landing gear of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Mark Broxholme, managing director of Tata Steel’s Speciality Steels business, said: “We have a long and successful record of supplying aerospace quality steels into the Safran Group.

“This is a significant award for Tata Steel and continues our long-term commercial and technical relationship with an important customer in this demanding market sector.”