THE COMPETITIVE CHALLENGES FOR THE POLISH STEEL INDUSTRY

Metallurgical enterprises operate in a highly turbulent environment, the existence of which is a natural consequence of globalization and consolidation processes. When observing the contemporary sector of steel producers, it is interesting to observe that during the process of dynamic changes some companies gradually dominated it. Over a few years, the list of the largest steel producers published by World Steel Association has changed dramatically. What was the reason for such big changes? What factors contributed to the fact that in the turbulent environment some companies gain while others lose their positions? The improving situation on the market creates new opportunities. However, enterprises discouraged by the lack of development prospects in the industry and declining income are reluctant to make strategic investment decisions. Cost optimization was the basic strategy to remain competitive in the market. Unfortunately, there must be a limit such activities. The steel industry has faced new challenges to remain competitive on the market. Thus, the main objective of this paper was to present the key competitive challenges for the Polish steel industry.