Ereğli Demir ve Çelik (Erdemir) is Turkey's largest integrated flat steel producer, operating blast furnaces and rolling mills in Ereğli on the Black Sea coast with 4.5 million tons annual capacity. The company produces hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, and galvanized sheets primarily for Turkish automotive, white goods, and construction sectors, with limited export exposure to Europe and Middle East. Stock performance is driven by Turkish lira volatility, domestic construction activity, and global steel spreads between iron ore/coking coal input costs and finished product pricing.
Basic MaterialsIntegrated Steel Manufacturinghigh - Blast furnace operations carry massive fixed costs (energy, maintenance, labor for ~8,000 employees) requiring 70-80% capacity utilization to breakeven. Every incremental ton sold above breakeven drops significant margin to EBITDA. Current 10.3% operating margin with negative FCF suggests the company is in heavy capex cycle, likely modernizing facilities or expanding capacity. Variable costs (iron ore, coal, electricity) represent ~65-70% of revenue, but fixed depreciation and labor create substantial operating leverage when volumes increase.