Stemcor’s History
Stemcor was formed in London in 1951 and is an international steel trader, distributer and stockholder. The privately-owned company is an independent trader meaning it is not owned by, nor does it control, any steel producers. This independence ensures that the Group is objective in matching exact customer needs in terms of quality, specifications, financial terms and delivery.
The Group grew rapidly in the two decades to 2008, before the sector, like many others globally, was severely affected by the global financial crisis that started at the back end of the last decade. By May 2013, the Company had reached a standstill agreement with its creditors.
In October 2015, the Group completed its restructuring process with the historically profitable trading, distribution and stockholding units unbundled into a new holding company, Stemcor Global Holdings Ltd, under new ownership. Iron ore mining and pellet operations based in India, along with certain other assets, remained in the old Stemcor Group which was subsequently renamed Moorgate Industries.
As part of this transaction, a US$100m shareholder term loan was put in place and Stemcor Global Holdings started life with $860M of financing across two committed facilities (Borrowing Base and a Trade Finance Facility).
Through its global team of experienced traders, the Group possesses in-depth steel sector knowledge, access to key personnel, and an enviable strength of relationships across its portfolio of suppliers and customers. These relationships, many of which being decades long, are paramount to the success of the Group’s trading operations.
During 2016 and 2017 Stemcor embarked on a repositioning of its operating footprint, focusing on its core trading and distribution activities and exiting most stockholding and other fixed asset business units. This repositioning enabled the refinancing of the group, supported by an equity raise fully subscribed from existing shareholders. This has moved Stemcor to a robust equity base and flexible funding structure with supportive lenders across America, EMEA and Asia. In 2018, Stemcor had the 33rd highest revenue of private firms in the UK, according to the latest Sunday Times Top Track 100 list.
In June 2020 Stemcor was acquired by Guangzhou based Cedar Holdings Group, and subsequently in July 2022 ownership transferred to ShouYe Holding (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Stemcor is well positioned to support its trading counter parties and capitalise on market opportunities.