Special Steels & Forged Materials, Hydraulics & Pneumatics made by ASO

Global Player. Local Partner.

why ASO is the right partner in business.

6 good reasons

Top quality products and services

Close, global partnership with our customers

Dynamic values of a family-run company

Innovative research and development

Responsibility for a sustainable future

Personal commitment and a passion for steel

Company StructureASO a global player.The ASO Group operates as an international network of flexible,

medium-sized companies that develop and produce high-quality

hydraulic components and special steels .

Our HistoryFamily business with tradition and success.ASO was founded by Aldo Artioli in 1971. The company expanded

in the following years and became ASO Group – a successful and

internationally operating company.

Our MissionAt all time future-oriented.Increasing the competitiveness of our customers whilst also

accepting responsibility for the environment and human

resources – these are our values.

Environmental ResponsibilityASO Siderurgica and the environment.The ASO Group has always focused on respect for the

environment and compliance with the laws put in place to

safeguard it.

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Index

KeyfactsNumbers that signify the success of ASO.

Hydraulics & PneumaticsHydraulic and pneumatic components from the

market leader. Certainty you can trust.Arctic conditions, searing desert heat or the corrosive effects of

seawater are just some of the extreme conditions that a modern

hydraulics system will be expected to withstand while still functioning

perfectly.

Special Steels & Forged MaterialsWithout stainless and speciality steel, our modern world

could simply not exist.Oil and gas industry, power generation technology, wind farms, high-

speed trains, aviation and aerospace, the automotive sector –

steel is everywhere.

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ASO Holding

ASO Siderurgica, the ASO Group’s parent company, was established in 1971 and specialises in the production of large special steel ingots and forged bars, mainly for application in the oil & gas, petrochemicals, power generation, aerospace, engineering and marine industries. The company’s background combines Brescia’s traditional vocation for steel-making with state-of-the-art plant engineering and metallurgical technologies.

ASO Group’s Hot Division covers two separate production sites:

one is a steel mill equipped with a 50-tonne electric arc furnace, a 30-tonne induction furnace, three ladle furnaces, three vacuum degassing systems, controlled ingot-cooling hoods, 14 heat treatment furnaces, an AOD converter, and various VAR and ESR systems

the other has handled integrated production since 2010 and forges steel bars from the steel mill. The equipment includes forging presses, pre-heating furnaces, heat treatment furnaces, quenching tanks, and a machine workshop.

The Group has developed a strategy in line with the need to extend the production chain to help it meet the new challenges of international markets as comprehensively as possible and consistent with its corporate mission.

Frequent structural and technological interventions and routine staff training enable ASO Siderurgica and ASO Forge to guarantee a consistently high standard of quality, a reliable product and flexibility in meeting customer requirements.

ASO a global playerThe ASO Group operates as an international network of flexible, medium-sized companies that develop and produce high-quality hydraulic components and special steels.

Company Structure

More than 750 employees working for the Special Steel Division and the Hydraulic Components

Division.

Company Structure 01

ASO Siderurgica S.p.A.100 %//

ASO SPS S.r.l.

100 %//

ASO Cromsteel S.A.100 %//

ASO Forge S.r.l.100 %//

1990

2006

2010

2013

Today

1972

2002

2007

2011

2014

1971FoundationAcciai Speciali Ospitaletto – was established in 1971 by Aldo Artioli, a businessman and metallurgical chemistry expert.

The first ladle furnace1990 saw the installation of the first ladle furnace (LF) and the first vacuum degassing (VD) plant, as a result of ASO’s ongoing commitment to investing heavily in tech-nology and human resources.

The third LF and VD systemA third LF and an adjacent VD system were installed in 2006 to increase ASO’s capacity and guarantee excellent product quality as a result of accurate control of furnace holding times.

ASO ForgeA new facility, called ASO Forge, was founded in 2010 to produce forged bars from ingots made at the steel mill. This new 15,000 m2 facility stands on 25,000 m2 of land in Castegnato (Brescia), very close to the new Brescia– Bergamo–Milan motorway.

The ESR installationASO started with a new ESR (electric slag remelting) production.

ASO GroupGlobal Player. Local Partner.

The first 10-tonne furnaceThe first 10-tonne furnace was installed in 1972. Initially

the company supplied end users with a highly diverse range of ingots, but later it decided later to serve mainly

forges, paving the way for future development.

The new smelting furnaceIn early 2002 the existing smelting furnace was replaced

with a new one of a variable capacity of 30–50 tonnes. A second, more modern, vacuum

degassing system was built and installed the same year.

The VAR installationAs part of its ongoing process of innovation, ASO installed

a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) system in 2007, mainly for steel grades for the aerospace industry. In 2008 ASO installed a 35-tonne induction furnace and a new off-gas

extraction system.

SPSIn 2011 the ASO Group took over SPS, a company near

Verona that produces and processes special and stainless steel grades, and boasts twenty years’ experience in

cold-processing round bars with chrome-plating being its main activity.

CromsteelAcquisition of Cromsteel to become a top player in the

market of hydraulic components.

The greatest benefit to our customers –More than 40 years experience.

Our History 02

At all time future-orientedIncreasing the competitiveness of our customers whilst also accepting responsibility for the environment and human resources – those are our values.

Our Mission

ASO Group is a leading manufacturer of ingots and forged materials that has managed to maintain its top-ranking market position thanks to its policy of providing regular personnel training, contin-uous improvement in manufacturing processes and heavy well-targeted investments, all in view of achieving the highest possible quality, in complete safety and respecting the environment.

ASO draws up plans and adopts methods to provide a more effective and more efficient customer service in terms of rapid examination of inquiries, advice on metallurgical matters, on-time deliveries and assessment of the supply results. This method of operation has become routine and involves all the departments throughout the organisation.

Our family-run group of companies operates in accordance with three basic guiding principles:

As part of its policy to expand its presence in different business sectors, the ASO Group has improved its versatility and strengthened its international presence by focusing on producing the special steel grades and alloys for high-tech applications. Within the next 10 years, the ASO Group’s steels and alloys must be present in the essential components of plant and infrastructures in all advanced technology sectors.

Highly progressive product solutions which combine superior efficiency with a longer service life ensure that our hydraulics and pneumatics and special steels provide our customers with a clear competitive advantage on the global market. Furthermore, resource-friendly manufacturing methods mean that our steel products also make a contribution towards global sustainability by optimising energy generation, facilitating supply and creating a basis for eco-compatible mobility.

Our Mission 03

Providing top product and service quality

Maintaining traditional values to deliver innovative technologies

Accepting responsibility for a sustainable future

We aim to increase the competitiveness of our

customers and satisfy our responsibility towards nature and people.

ALDO ARTIOLI

Environmental Responsibility

The ASO Group has always focused on respect for the environment and compliance with the laws put in place to safeguard it.

ASO continues to implement protocols and plant upgrades to keep its environmental impact well below the thresholds established by law. ASO’s respectful relationship with the environment is the result of numerous projects, direct interventions and successful partnerships.

Ramet consortium

The ASO Group is a founder member of RAMET, a consortium that conducts environmental research for metallurgy and is promoted by the Brescian Industrialists Association. In collaboration with Brescia University, it implements measures for monitoring and reducing the environmental impact of its metallurgical production sites in the province of Brescia.

Reduction of noise and air pollution

In order to reduce its acoustic impact and atmospheric emissions, the ASO Group has recently renewed its filter-ing system, leading to more efficient off gas extraction and a reduction in noise levels. The electric arc furnace is installed in a building with excellent sound insulation.

In 1999, the group aligned its smelting furnace with Italy’s first dioxin measuring and removal system, which is still one of the very few of its kind in existence.

The main plans in the pipeline include a weather station and a continuous emission monitoring system with absolutely reliable performance that goes well beyond the regulatory requirements. They will provide data on the prevailing conditions, based on which fur-ther improvements can be scheduled to reduce impact on the local community.

04Environmental responsibility

100 %environmental responsibility

through the industrial production with durable and recyclable steel:

energy-efficient and sustainable.

We develop and deliver the precise steel grades and alloys that facilitate progress. Using state-of-the-art process technology we produce high-quality products, right up

to and including extremely pure – super clean – steels.

We work on new solutions in conjunction with our customers. As a result, your requirements are our motivation to produce the best steel for you.

We produce a wide range of steels such as:

CarbonAlloy

NitridingCase Hardening

Bearing steelsTool steels

StainlessDuplex & Super Duplex

Nickel Alloys

In 2012, North America’s largest manufacturer of flat products and leading global supplier of forged

and rolled rings to large multinationals, such as FMC, Siemens, General Electric, Alstom,

Cameron and Caterpillar, reported problems producing a particularly thick kind of ring

despite trying various manufacturing methods and consequently contacted ASO.

ASO solved the problem and achieved the required degree of purity by us-

ing its advanced technology and steel making expertise.

Without stainless and speciality steel, our modern world could simply not exist.

Oil and gas industry power generation technology, wind farms, high-speed trains, aviation and aerospace, the automotive sector – steel is everywhere.

Special Steels & Forged Materials

Special Steels & Forged Materials 05

Our hydraulic components are integral to hydraulic systems that are sub-jected to extreme pressures and high mechanical loads. In addition to ensuring a long service life and low wear and tear, our hydraulic com-ponents are perfectly customised to suit your specific needs.

In 2011 ASO took over SPS, which is now fully incorporated into the group and has twenty years’ experience processing CHROMED STEEL bARS, which are mainly used in the auto-motive, lifting and earth-moving sectors. Its strengths are a full product range and constant improvement in terms of quality and product verticalization.

The company produces a very wide range of chromed bars made of low / medium / high alloy steels in various grades for many different applications. The materials used for specific applications are C53 tempered steel (for high specific pressures, e. g. ball bushings), 42CrMo4 hardened and hardened & tempered steel (for high-stress ap-plications, e. g. piston rods for cyl-inders mounted on earth-moving machinery) and other low- inclusion materials which have excellent friction welding properties.

Hydraulics & Pneumatics from the market leader. Certainty you can trust.

Arctic conditions, searing desert heat or the corrosive effects of seawater are just some of the extreme conditions that a modern hydraulics system will be expected to withstand while still functioning perfectly.

Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Hydraulics & Pneumatics 06

Hydraulics & Pneumatics

78,000tons of production capacity

200,000tons of production capacity

3production sites in Italy and Romania

2production sites in Italy

182,000 m2total area

170,000 m2total area

69,000 m2of production area

50,000 m2of production area

Special Steels & Forged Materials

Numbers that signify the sucess.

Keyfacts

ASO Siderurgica S.p.A. UnipersonaleVia Seriola 122I-25035 Ospitaletto (BS)phone: +39 030 . 684 10 11fax: +39 030 . 684 10 12e-mail: info@asogroup.itwww.asogroupsteel.com

ASO Forge S.r.l. UnipersonaleVia Verginello 29/31I-25045 Castegnato (BS)phone: +39 030 . 684 10 11fax: +39 030 . 684 10 12www.asogroupsteel.com

ASO Cromsteel S.A.Laminorului 16 RO-130089 Târgoviste (DB)phone: +40 245 . 213 261fax: +40 245 . 213 360e-mail: office@cromsteel.rowww.cromsteel.ro

ASO SPS S.r.l. UnipersonaleVia Salieri 32I-37050 Oppeano Vallese (VR)phone: +39 030 . 684 10 11fax: +39 030 . 684 10 12e-mail: sps@asogroup.itwww.asogroupsteel.com

ASO SiderurgicAASO FOrgeASO crOmSteelASO SPS