From Design Engineer to CEO: Gianpietro Benedetti's journey at Danieli Group

Gianpietro Benedetti began his career at Danieli Group in 1961 as a design engineer and steadily progressed to become the company's Group President and CEO, contributing greatly to the steel industry.

Gianpietro Benedetti: from design engineer to CEO

Gianpietro Benedetti's career at Danieli Group began in 1961 as a design engineer in one of the company’s technical offices. After two years, he was promoted to project engineer and eventually became the plant start-up engineer in 1966. His expertise in the field led to his appointment as Research & Development Director in 1976 and Sales Director in 1982. In 1986, he was named Managing Director of Danieli Group, a position he held for four years before becoming Group President and CEO. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Danieli Group and, since September 2017, he is also Executive Board Chairman of Danieli & C. S.p.A. Additionally, Gianpietro Benedetti is the President of the Technical Secondary School's Mechanical and Aeronautics Section in Udine. His contributions to the steel industry have earned him numerous accolades, including the Tadeusz Sendzimir Memorial Medal from AIST (Association for Iron & Steel Technology) in 2018.

Gianpietro Benedetti's impact on the steel industry

Throughout his career, Gianpietro Benedetti’s leadership and innovation have resulted in numerous patents for steelmaking machines and processes. He has registered over 80 inventions in his name, making him a pioneer in steelmaking technology and plant building. In addition to his work in the steel industry, he has also served on the Board of Directors of Acciaierie Bertoli Safau S.p.A. since 1994 and Friuladria Bank (Crédit Agricole Group) from April 2013 to December 2018. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of Friuladria Bank (Intesa BCI Group). Gianpietro Benedetti’s expertise and dedication to the industry have been recognized through the numerous honorary degrees he has received: from the University of Trieste (2000, Mechanical Engineering); from the University of Udine (2016, Management) and from the MIB School of Management of Trieste (2018, International Business).

Udine Municipality confers honorary citizenship on Gianpietro Benedetti

The reasons cited for the awarding of honorary citizenship to Gianpietro Benedetti by the Municipal Council of Udine include “excellence in the entrepreneurial sector” and “contributions to the economic development and social promotion of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as to the implementation of conservation and restoration interventions of historical monuments and redevelopment of the urban fabric, with a particular focus on benefiting the younger generation”.

Gianpietro Benedetti’s entrepreneurial vision and commitment to community development

The Municipal Council of Udine conferred honorary citizenship upon Danieli Group’s CEO Gianpietro Benedetti “as a sign of sincere appreciation and the highest regard”, as stated in the resolution passed by the Council and inscribed on the diploma. The recognition was awarded for the excellence he achieved in the entrepreneurial sector and his contribution to the economic development and social promotion of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Moreover, his generous contribution to the implementation of conservation and restoration interventions of historical monuments and redevelopment of the urban fabric, especially for the benefit of the younger generation, was also acknowledged. Commenting on this prestigious title, Gianpietro Benedetti said that “it is an important and unexpected recognition. However, it must be acknowledged that the reason we have paid special attention to the city is not only due to affection but also corporate interests”. With regard to this, Danieli Group’s CEO said that “we often invite people from all over the world to Udine, and their positive impression of the city is significant. Those who commission systems that can cost from 100 to 500 million euros instinctively associate the decorum of the location with the potential quality of the work and the credibility of the company, which is linked to the social and cultural context in which the company operates”. This recognition is “an incentive to do even more and better in the future”, he added, with the aim “to maintain a balance between what I can give and what I can receive, and to work towards keeping our city pleasant, beautiful, and livable”.

Danieli Group: the professional career of CEO Gianpietro Benedetti

Gianpietro Benedetti is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Danieli Group, a global industrial machinery manufacturer. Since 2010, he has also been President of “ITS - Technical Secondary School - New Made-in-Italy Technologies, Mechanical and Aeronautics Section” of Udine, Italy. He began his career at Danieli Group in 1961 as a design engineer. After managing several departments, he was named Co-Chief Executive Officer in 1986 and General Manager in 1991, before ultimately becoming Chief Executive Officer in 1999. In September 2017, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Board of the Group. Gianpietro Benedetti is the holder of many patents for steelmaking machines and processes – including the MI.DA® Micromill – and has registered over 80 inventions under his name. In recognition of his career, he was awarded an honorary degree in Mechanical Engineering (University of Trieste, 2000), an honorary degree in Management Engineering (University of Udine, 2016), and an M.B.A. in International Business (MIB School of Management of Trieste, 2018). Additionally, in 2006, the National order of Chivalry made him a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labor, for the service to the Italian Republic. In 2018, he also received the Tadeusz Sendzimir Memorial Medal from AIST (Association for Iron & Steel Technology).

Technological innovation and sustainability: the values behind Danieli Group’s project in Brazil

ArcelorMittal reaffirms its trust in Danieli Group’s innovative systems and technologies, by commissioning the installation of a new water treatment plant in the Barra Mansa site, Brazil.

Danieli Group’s project for ArcelorMittal in Brazil

The world’s leading steel and mining company ArcelorMittal ordered the installation of a water treatment plant in Brazil to Danieli Group, hence placing trust in their innovative solutions and selecting their new water treatment technologies for the implementation of the Barra Mansa site. The Italian firm will supply a 400,000-tpy medium section mill which is going to be installed in the brownfield. Implemented with DanFilters and exclusive Zero Scale Pit -ZSP, the new water treatment plant will replace the one serving the dismissed rolling mill. By significantly diminishing civil work, Danieli Group’s ZSP will allow a drastic reduction of construction costs. Most of the scale contained in the cooling water comes from the firsts and the more critical rolling stands. Placed under the rolling mill, ZSP collects water containing rolling mill scale mainly generated during the first rolling steps. It removes the scale from the underground flume and then raises it to the mill floor where it is collected in standard skips. Not only ZSP will guarantee CapEx savings and no extra OpEx costs, but it will also simplify maintenance operations. Danfilters, Danieli’s fast-filtering patented filters, are included in the project as well: three 3.800-mm-dia DanFilters are in fact going to replace four 5.000-mm dia old filters. Startup of the new rolling mill and water treatment plant is scheduled for the third trimester of 2024.

Research, advanced technologies and innovative plants: the mission of Danieli Group

Danieli company was established by Mario Danieli in 1948 in Buttrio, a village located in Northern Italy, where he started as manufacturer of small shears and anvils. Today Danieli Group is recognized throughout the world for the development of low-impact innovative technological solutions. In addition to special steel production, the company manufactures and installs machines and plants used by ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries and by energy production industries. Its reliability is based on research, know-how and experience. Danieli Group is able to provide high-tech plants which are also innovative and carbon neutral. The company’s high-quality performances and specialised services are very complex. Research, investments in advanced technologies and the development of innovative plants are strategic pillars for the preservation and the consolidation of the Group leadership in the global market. Their motto is “Innov-Action to be a step ahead in CapEx and OpEx”, meaning that they put innovation into action in order to achieve even higher level of quality and standards in every aspect of their work: from planning, designing and manufacturing to erection, commissioning and service. In 2020 the company gave birth to the world's first Twin-MIDA ECR plant for the production of 1.6 Mtpy of bars and wirerod in Pinggang (China) and designed the world's most technologically-advanced wirerod mill based on the “zero-man-on-the-floor” approach, whereas in 2021 they made the first electrically-heated roller-hearth soaking furnace for billets.