History
ILVA Taranto Works was born at the beginning of 60’s as the
Fourth National Steel Centre, within the strategy of
Governmental Participation development. The industrial strengthening through the direct presence of the Government aimed to give Italian companies – which in those years were
developing fast, especially in the automotive sector and that of mass durable goods – a
basic source of supply for national mechanical industry, but also to reduce the economic difference between South and North of the country.
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The original production capacity, which at the start-up of the first blast furnace in 1964, was of
3 million tons per year, was increased to 4.5 million tons in 1970 and to 11.5 million tons in 1975. The
maximum occupation reached by Taranto Works was of 21,791 units during 1980.
On 1st May 1995 Riva Group, at present the
first steel maker in Italy and the third in Europe, took over Ilva Group companies, including Taranto Works, which at that moment employed 11,796 units. The take-over came along with a
reorganization and new launch programme of production activities, costing Riva Group investments for
3,843 million euros so far.
Starting from July 1997 the application of the Standard on the risks coming from exposition to asbestos resulted in the retirement of 7,800 units up to December 2005, causing a
deep staff turnover, which brought several consequences on company skills and culture. At the end of 2008, Taranto Works employed 12,589 units.