Magnelis^® helps Meko Metal to create durable profiles for a wide range of industries

Based in Turkey, Meko Metal is a leading advocate for Magnelis^®, actively promoting the highly advanced coating with its global customer base. Meko Metal uses Magnelis^® to create profiles and tubes which are utilised in: solar support structures; greenhouses; agricultural applications such as chicken farms; prefabricated housing; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) applications. And to ensure that their customers can access Magnelis_^® quickly, Meko Metal maintains its own high stock levels of the coated steel in Turkey.

Meko Metal started life as a producer of standard tubes and hollow sections. When the business was acquired by the KMC Group around a decade ago, investments were made which allowed Meko Metal to begin manufacturing special and value-added profiles.

Those investments mean the company can now produce Magnelis^® rails, channels, beams, and profiles for solar installations and tracker systems in-house. “This makes Meko Metal a unique global supplier,” notes Ziya Eren, President of the KMC Group which owns Meko Metal. “Thanks to our high capabilities, we can produce profiles for different sectors simultaneously.”

Greenhouses are one of the many applications for Meko Metal’s Magnelis^® products

Trials convince major customers

While enhancing its production systems, Meko Metal began a campaign to help customers understand the benefits of Magnelis^®, notes Serkan Gürler, Vice President of the KMC Group: “Meko Metal has worked hard to convince our customers to use Magnelis^® in their applications. We started by branding Magnelis^® as ‘MekoMag’. We are collaborating with ArcelorMittal on co-marketing materials such as brochures and newsletters to spread the message about this remarkable coating as far as possible.”

Meko Metal is also utilising ArcelorMittal’s Orange Book, a website dedicated to helping design engineers to reduce the weight of their structures and optimise the structural, environmental, and economic performance of profiles made with ArcelorMittal’s high strength steels.

Meko Metal’s efforts have seen Magnelis^® being adopted by customers in many different industries. “We work with a major global company active in the construction, energy, and manufacturing industries,” says Serkan Gürler. “After eight months of tests and discussions they switched around a third of their products to Magnelis^® as a trial. After seeing the benefits of this unique coating, they now request Magnelis^® in most applications.”

As well as being easier to work with than hot dip galvanised material, Magnelis^® offers long-term protection against corrosion in many applications. “For our customers in the solar industry, ArcelorMittal’s guarantee on Magnelis^® of up to 25 years is extremely interesting,” says Serkan Gürler. “It assures them they will be able to obtain an adequate return on their investment.”

Magnelis^® rails, channels, beams, and profiles produced by Meko Metal are used in solar installations and tracker systems

Rails ready for distribution to Meko Metal’s global customer base

Magnelis^® stocks reduce lead times

With demand for Magnelis^® being very strong, Meko Metal decided to stockpile the material to ensure they can offer customers very short lead times. Meko Metal now receives coils of Magnelis^® coated material directly from ArcelorMittal’s mills in Bremen (Germany), Liège (Belgium) and Avilés (Spain). “If we cannot supply Magnelis^® within their deadlines, many customers will consider galvanised steel instead,” explains Serkan Gürler, Vice President of the KMC Group. “But thanks to our warehouse of material, we can offer customers just-in-time deliveries. We also provide this service for ArcelorMittal’s HyPer^® high strength structural steels.”

Magnelis^® is ideal for perforated profiles as it self-heals on cut edges to offer long-term protection