Voss Edelstahl: fully future-proofed partners to European stockists

By Joanne McIntyre, Stainless Steel World

Voss Edelstahl is a rather unique company in that it only supplies products and services to other stockists and traders; it does not sell to end users or fabricators. With a focus on long products – stainless steel and aluminium – there are very few companies in Europe with a similar profile. “The key advantage of this model is that we are partners to our customers, not competitors. This is at the core of our business strategy,” explains Managing Director Markus Fischer.

Since its founding almost 47 years ago, Voss has continually optimised this distinctive business model. “Today, our service includes the delivery of very small items and batches so that our customers receive exactly what they need without delay. We see that our customers want to keep as little stock on the shelf as possible, and everyone understands the concept of total cost of ownership, so in recent years we have invested heavily to be able to provide this level of service.”
Voss has four large, high-density high-bay storage warehouses in Germany – 3 in Hamburg and 1 in Düsseldorf – equipped with fully automated stocking systems. These complement its nine other facilities across Europe. The company is active in 35 countries, with extensive warehouse capacity in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Poland, the UK, the Czech Republic and recently Italy. This network allows Voss to process orders of any size quickly and deliver them within very short lead times.

“We work as partners with our clients, building relationships based on trust. This includes our 24-hour promise: order today, receive it tomorrow.”

Close to the customer

By concentrating on a specialised segment – stainless steel long products supplied exclusively to stockholders and traders – it is essential for Voss to remain close to its customers. In 2025, the company opened Voss Inox Italia in Brescia, Italy.

“This office and warehouse facility became operational in October, and we are confident our team in Brescia will do a great job,” continues Markus. “Within a few months, they have established a fully equipped warehouse with stock and material handling equipment, organised logistics and transport, and built an effective sales team. It is a very promising development, which means that in 2026, we will offer the same service level to the Italian market that we provide in all our other markets. The local managing director in Brescia, Emiliano Lampugnani, is an inspiring leader for his new team.”

New Austrian warehouse

2026 promises to be a busy and exciting year for the Voss team at its Austrian facilities as well.
“We will shortly start construction of a new 6,500 m² warehouse, which will be completed by the end of the year. It is located just 20 km from our previous site in Vienna. Our entire team will transfer there, and the facility will give us an excellent opportunity to further improve our logistics services locally and, in particular, for the Eastern European market. This is really the major news for us.”

New fully digitalised system

A significant investment in 2025 was the implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. “As the world becomes increasingly digital, we felt it was the right moment to invest in a future-proof ERP solution fully integrated into the Microsoft platform. After extensive testing and commissioning, the system is now fully operational and provides comprehensive digital capabilities,” explains Markus.

“Through our platform, customers step into the Voss digital world, where three levels of connectivity offer streamlined procurement: VossOnline, VossConnect and VossEDI. Regardless of whether it concerns orders, enquiries, delivery documents or invoices, all information is processed digitally and transferred seamlessly in a very short time. The process is automatic and highly efficient.”

• VossOnline is the company’s toolbox – far more than just an online shop.
  It enables users to check stock availability in real time, integrate their own article numbers and matchcodes, and place orders with just a few clicks. VossOnline offers numerous additional features designed to maximise efficiency throughout the procurement process.
• VossConnect goes a step further by linking Voss data directly to the customer’s merchandise management system. All relevant information including inventory, prices and delivery times is transferred to the customer’s ERP system. This ensures customers always have up-to-date, binding information available and they can give their own customers reliable answers at any time.
• VossEDI is the company’s electronic document exchange. Fast and error-free, it simplifies administrative processes by managing important documents such as orders, order confirmations, invoices and credit notes digitally, without double entries or manual effort.

“These digital services eliminate a great deal of duplicated work and significantly streamline the ordering process, saving time and money. Most of our customers recognise that digitalisation is essential for managing the total cost of ownership. Of course, we can only offer these digital solutions because our analogue procedures are also tightly controlled. We have used barcodes in our warehouses for more than 15 years and provide real-time order tracking that shows exactly when an order is placed, packed, ready for shipping and dispatched. While these features are familiar from companies such as Amazon, they are still relatively new in the stainless steel sector, and we are very proud of our progress.”

CBAM ready

Additional digital services include the provision of carbon footprint data, available as soon as a customer places an item in their shopping basket.

With the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) having come into effect on 1 January, the Voss team is therefore well prepared to support its customers.

“We are fully prepared and registered as a CBAM importer. At the time of this interview, the benchmarks from the European Union had not yet been released. Nevertheless, we have prepared ourselves as thoroughly as possible.”

“CBAM will certainly affect purchase prices and, consequently, market prices. We mainly work with larger companies that are themselves well prepared for CBAM. How the mechanism will ultimately influence the market remains to be seen. What is clear is that we are CBAM-ready, our systems are implemented, and our customers do not need to be concerned.”

Voss will add to its product portfolio in Q1 2026

New product range – fittings & flanges

By the end of Q1 2026, Voss is planning to introduce an important extension to its product portfolio: stainless steel flanges and fittings. “This additional range has been developed as a service for our customers,” explains Markus. “It is a logical step because every process tube and pipe we sell is ultimately welded or connected to a flange and fitting. We will offer a comprehensive selection of approximately 5,000 items across all standard stainless steel grades. Logistically, it is a very different market: instead of shipping long lengths, we are now handling many small boxes. Setting up this new logistics system required time and investment, and we look forward to rolling it out by the end of the first quarter of the year.”

The stock of flanges and fittings will be held at the central warehouse in Düsseldorf, while the service will be available to all Voss facilities.

Cutting services

Voss is also expanding its value-added services for customers.

“We already offer grinding and polishing of our products,” continues Markus. “We’re now making moves to establish a dedicated cutting centre to cut bars and heavy material into individual lengths. Many of our customers carry out this work themselves, but we aim to provide additional capacity when their machines are fully booked or when they need rapid delivery. It’s a way for us to help customers quickly remove bottlenecks in the supply chain. However, I want to emphasise that this is not a service we are introducing to compete with our customers; it is an occasional support service for periods when they need extra capacity.”

Markets and culture

“Voss is a German company with a European focus; two-thirds of our sales are generated outside Germany. We have highly motivated teams across Europe with a strong team spirit. I had the privilege of visiting all our branches in the past month, and it is impressive to see how different cultures in different countries share the same objectives and team spirit. During the Stainless Steel World Expo in Maastricht in November, many colleagues from across Europe were present, enjoying interactions with each other and their customers. It makes me very proud that what started as a small German company 47 years ago has grown into a substantial European business,” concludes Markus with a smile.

About this Featured Story

Appearing in the Stainless Steel World January 2026 issue, this Featured Story is just one of many insightful articles we publish. Subscribe today to receive 10 issues a year, available monthly in print and digital formats. – SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR DIGITAL VERSION ARE NOW FREE.

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