Sidetur
Sidetur is a Venezuelan steel producer specializing in reinforcing bar, structural steel and other long-steel products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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History
Sidetur, or Siderúrgica del Turbio S.A., was established in 1948 in Antímano, Caracas, as a Venezuelan steel enterprise. Its business developed around long steel and related products used in construction and industrial applications. The company later became part of Siderúrgica de Venezuela S.A. (Sivensa), which reference material identifies as Venezuela’s largest wholly private steel corporation. Sidetur expanded its physical presence beyond Caracas through a network of Venezuelan plants. The documented operating footprint included facilities in Bolívar, Carabobo, Miranda, Lara and the Capital District. The company’s operating configuration included six plants in Venezuela, with Planta Barquisimeto and Planta Casima serving as the facilities designed to melt steel into billets. Other facilities supported rolling and downstream manufacturing. Sidetur also maintained 14 ferrous-material collection centers distributed across the country, allowing it to gather scrap and serve industrial areas including Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Puerto Ordaz and other cities. The company’s principal products were reinforcing bars, bars, beams, angles and flats. It also had electric-welding production. Its activities therefore covered important stages of the long-steel chain, from steelmaking and billet production to rolling and selected fabricated products. The cited material reports annual capacities of 835,000 metric tons for steelmaking, 615,000 metric tons for rolling and 67,000 metric tons for electric welding, without specifying the year to which those figures apply. Sidetur also pursued exports. Its products reportedly reached more than 25 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. This international reach complemented its domestic Venezuelan production base and gave the company exposure to regional construction and industrial markets. In 1998, Sivensa underwent a serious crisis, attributed mainly to the Asian financial crisis. The shock reduced the size of the corporate group and left it with significant debt. According to the supplied reference, improving steel prices later helped the company’s situation recover over time, although no detailed financial series or specific recovery dates are provided. The decisive turning point in Sidetur’s history came in 2010, when the Chávez government expropriated the company’s assets. The action ended or substantially changed the previous private-ownership structure associated with Sivensa. The reference material further states that, by May 21, 2013, former owners had received no compensation. The available material does not clarify the complete legal process, the identity of any successor operator, the subsequent production record, or the current status of the Sidetur name. For that reason, the brand’s present status cannot be reliably classified as active or defunct from the supplied sources alone.
- 2013
Compensation remains unpaid according to reference material
[1]The cited account reports that former owners had not received compensation as of May 21, 2013.
- 2010
Sidetur assets are expropriated
[1]The Venezuelan government expropriates Sidetur’s assets under the Chávez administration.
- 1998
Sivensa suffers a major corporate crisis
[1]Sidetur’s parent group faces a severe crisis linked mainly to the Asian financial crisis, resulting in reduced scale and significant debt.
- 1948
Sidetur is founded in Antímano
[1]Siderúrgica del Turbio S.A. is founded in Antímano, Caracas, Venezuela.
Products and positioning
A Venezuelan integrated and downstream long-steel producer serving construction, infrastructure and industrial customers, with historical export activity across more than 25 countries.
Construction steel
Reinforcing bars
Steel reinforcing bars formed a core part of Sidetur’s product portfolio. They were intended for use in reinforced-concrete construction and related infrastructure work, making them a central product for the company’s Venezuelan and export markets.
Structural steel
Bars, beams, angles and flats
Sidetur produced several forms of long and structural steel, including bars, beams, angles and flat products. These products served fabrication, construction and industrial applications. The available source does not provide individual product specifications or brand-level model names.
Semifinished steel
Steel billets
Billets were produced at Planta Barquisimeto and Planta Casima, the two Sidetur facilities identified as having steel-melting capability. Billets functioned as semifinished feedstock for subsequent rolling into long-steel products.
Welded steel products
Electric-welded products
Sidetur maintained electric-welding capacity alongside its steelmaking and rolling operations. The supplied material reports annual electric-welding capacity of 67,000 metric tons, but does not identify specific product families or current availability.
Brand decisions
2010
Government expropriation of Sidetur assetsOtherBackground
Sidetur operated as a subsidiary of privately controlled Sivensa before the Venezuelan government took control of its assets.
Action taken
The Chávez government expropriated Sidetur’s assets.
Aftermath
The expropriation altered Sidetur’s ownership structure. The cited material says former owners had not received compensation by May 21, 2013, while the later operating and legal status is not established by the supplied sources.
Sources1 sources
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