Ferrexpo and Eirich – the success story of a Ukrainian-German partnership

For a quarter of a century there has now been a deep connection between this production company from Ukraine and the mixing machinery experts from Hardheim in Germany. Working together, the two companies have delivered large-scale projects to improve quality – and they continue to do so to this day. However, one thing that this partnership demonstrates particularly emphatically is that experts with great experience are always able to find successful solutions – even under the most trying circumstances – and that true partnership extends beyond the realm of just business, especially in times of war and crisis.

Ferrexpo, based in Horishni Plavni in Ukraine, is the world’s third-largest exporter of iron ore pellets. Because it is used in the production of steel, iron ore is one of the materials that forms the very foundations of modern life as we know it. Steel is indispensable in many areas, from the construction sector to the manufacturing of cars and wind turbines as well as for everyday items such as kitchen utensils. Ferrexpo has been manufacturing iron ore pellets since 1970, delivering one of the main building blocks for many industries and for many different aspects of life.

Ferrexpo and Eirich: Ensuring quality through partnership

Despite the ongoing state of war in Ukraine, Ferrexpo is still continuing on its successful path, moving forward with the expansion it embarked on before the war and further improving the quality of its core product. This has been possible in large part due to a unique partnership that has created a special bond between Ferrexpo and the German company Eirich for some 25 years now. Together with Eirich, a global leader in solutions for processing raw materials, Ferrexpo has been successfully overcoming major milestones for decades.

Thanks to its dependable partner in Germany, Ferrexpo is still able to continue working on joint projects even during the war. The cooperation between the two companies originally began in around 2000 when Ferrexpo decided to modernize its pelletizing system with the goal of producing the best pellets in Europe. Eirich joined this project as a partner who was an expert in advanced technologies for mixing, granulating, dispersing, and temperature conditioning.
In order to meet the rising quality expectations of steel producers and to strengthen its market position, Ferrexpo wanted to ensure particularly high mixing quality of the concentrate.

The mixing coefficient, i.e. the degree of homogenization, was to be at least 98%. This is why the choice was made to use an Eirich Intensive Mixer.

Challenges helped create bonds – even before the war

In all of the joint projects that Ferrexpo implemented together with Eirich in the subsequent years, commissioning of the new mixers went according to plan and on time – with no production stoppage. To date, the first mixer installed by Eirich has been used to process and prepare more than 20 million tons of iron ore concentrate, and it is still running successfully.

However, these superb results should not mask the amount of effort involved, and the challenging circumstances under which they were achieved. For example, one of the state highways in Ukraine needed to be rerouted at short notice to allow the transportation of several mixers. And it took over 8 hours to e.g. lift the mixer D31/7 to a height of 30 meters on site. During commissioning, there were occasions on which workers needed to pick up a shovel to help remove several tons of concentrate from the mixer. Even now, some Eirich supervisors still remember sharing dinner and watching the World Cup with their Ukrainian colleagues while still dressed in their work clothes. Back then, the process of working together to master these challenges already helped to forge a close bond between the two companies on a much more human level than is often possible in a more conventional client-contractor relationship.

Even the war in Ukraine cannot stop the pursuit of quality excellence

Unfortunately, conditions for the long-standing cooperation between Ferrexpo and Eirich changed in the 2020s. With the start of the Russian invasion, the major part of a large-scale project that was already underway had to be mothballed – at least temporarily. Four mixers of type DW40, each with a throughput capacity of over 1,000 tons/hour, as well as covered belt conveyors and control systems, had been delivered but not yet taken into operation. However, remote commissioning of the first of the four mixers was successfully completed under guidance from an Eirich supervisor in Germany by mid-2023. This was followed by mixers two and three, with the final mixer also being taken into operation before the end of 2024.

Despite the exceptionally difficult circumstances, the end result is highly impressive. The plant in Ukraine represents a unique solution and is equipped with the best equipment in the world. The supervisors at Eirich remain in constant contact with the customer even now and continue to provide extensive support. In 2023, over 300,000 tons of concentrate was already processed in the first mixer, and this rose to 1,000,000 tons in 2024.

During the war, Ferrexpo has also built a storage facility for concentrates, with two pelletizing departments also currently under construction.

The company is also planning to install Haver-Boecker pelletizing discs and is confidently moving toward its goal of producing 18 million tons of the best pellets in Europe. Steel producers from Japan, South Korea, Austria, Germany, and the UAE are all happy to purchase these high-quality products.

Ferrexpo relies on Eirich – in all areas

However, there are some pieces of equipment in the plant outside of Eirich’s scope of supply that the experts at Ferrexpo are highly dissatisfied with. Since the way these devices work affects the quality of the final product, the pellet manufacturer now wants to procure them from Eirich. Initial project planning discussions began in early 2025. In this way, the successful cooperation between the two companies is being continued across borders and barriers. But the war in Ferrexpo's home country plays more than just a logistical role – and sometimes, it is not until a major crisis occurs that the depth of a true partnership is fully revealed.

Right at the start of the war, Eirich brought 30 Ukrainian women and children – employees from its Dnipro office, wives and children of business partners, along with friends’ families – to Hardheim. The company quickly provided the necessary accommodation and also helped with the relevant official paperwork and procedures to keep bureaucracy to a minimum. Eirich subsidiaries also provided valuable material aid. Ten Ukrainians still live in Hardheim. The mothers have successfully completed integration and language courses and are currently looking for jobs. Their children go to school in Hardheim and are top of their class in some subjects.

Together with its business partners in Ukraine, Eirich continues to discuss issues relating to post-war reconstruction and visions for the future. Ferrexpo has experienced repeatedly that anything is possible with a partner like this. With Eirich at its side, Ferrexpo remains focused on delivering the best iron ore pellets and continues to maintain an optimistic outlook for the future.