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The importance of exports for Greek businesses were spotlighted during Delphi Economic Forum VIII. Panos Lolos, General Manager of Copper Segment of ElvalHalcor participated at the forum’s panel discussion on Exports: “Making Trade Work for All” attended by prominent market executives.

Panos Lolos emphasized ElvalHalcor’s international experience, being an outstanding example of an organization with a long-standing exports orientation, which is viewed as a national exporting champion. The company generates 92% of its turnover from exporting sustainable aluminium and copper products and solutions with a high value-added to over 94 countries worldwide. Additionally, Panos Lolos mentioned the extensive investments that have been implemented to improve productive capacity. Today, the company is the largest copper tubes producer and the second largest producer in hot aluminium rolling capacity in Europe.

ElvalHalcor’s significant impact on Greece’s trade balance and overall economy is evident. In 2022, the company contributed 8.3% to the country’s exports of industrial products (excluding petroleum products) totaling EUR 2.66 billion, while the total effect of its business activity on Greece’s GDP exceeded EUR 1.34 billion in 2022 (over 0.7% of GDP).

When asked about the essentials of this success and whether there are specific ingredients  that businesses seeking to develop their export presence can adopt, Panos Lolos stated, “ElvalHalcor's ingredients of success are found on three pillars: vision, strong productive base that can consistently meet the needs of mature markets, and  timely strategic investments that have prepared the company for the large growth waves set in motion by global megatrends such as digitalisation, the circular economy, the transition to climate neutrality, and urbanization.”

Moreover, Panos Lolos pointed out that: “ElvalHalcor's success in meeting industrial customers’ particular demands mainly in dynamic and mature markets in Western and Central Europe throughout the 10-year financial crisis is also due to the fact that it has further developed its activities by investing in excess of EUR 968 million, resulting in making a decisive contribution to the development of the country's brand name while paving the way for other Greek companies to follow in its path.”

Concluding the panel discussion, Panos Lolos referred to the prospects of ElvalHalcor and its products, which are at the forefront of demand in high-growth sectors such as the automotive industry, e-mobility and packaging. A strong emphasis was made by mentioning that the use of copper in next-generation electric cars already stands at 70 to 75 kg/vehicle compared to just 20 kg in a conventional vehicle, with estimates predicting that copper use may even reach 200 kg/vehicle. In regard to aluminium, projections in the packaging industry are also significant as there is strong momentum in favor of aluminium replacing plastic packaging, thanks to the material’s circular and fully recyclable properties. In addition, forecasts for products suitable for the cooling, heating and shipbuilding markets are particularly positive, where aluminium and copper have even more applications.