Despite the evolution of losing the above-mentioned pig iron sources, NIZI maintained and expanded the very important pig iron business by sourcing nodular pig iron from KS Ilmenittsmelteverket A/S originally through Elkem in 1986 and later directly from Tinfos Titan & Iron KS in Tyssedal, Norway. Pig iron of different qualities were also supplied by various producers, such as Hallbergerhütte GmbH, Preussag GmbH, and Ekostahl GmbH in Germany, as well as from Russian, Polish, Italian, and Brazilian sources. By maintaining significant stocks of pig iron in Europe from various sources, NIZI is able to service customers in an efficient manner. Pig iron is sold by NIZI mainly to foundries in continental Europe.

As with pig iron and metal sectors, changes also occurred in the ferro-alloy field. One of the more important developments was the expansion of sales into France, traditionally closed for imports. While the mergers between the French producers of ferro-alloys into Pechiney group were harming NIZI's activities in the Sarre area, French steel works were looking for the Norwegian producers to enter the market. When the Tinfos' factory Øye Smelteverk became operational in Kvinesdal in 1973, NIZI succeeded to meet the market requirements in France for high carbon ferro manganese and silico manganese. This was accomplished through a close cooperation with the Tinfos sales management, represented by Sales Directors Bernt Berger, Kjell Forsberg, and Ole Øystein Haugen

Commencing in 1980, NIZI began marketing Norwegian ferro-silicon in the French market. NIZI entered into a management agreement with Fesil-Alliages S.A., Luxembourg, founded the following year, for sales to France and the Benelux countries. Again, it was NIZI who opened these markets to the Norwegian producers of silicon metal and of high purity ferro-silicon for oriented grain steel and other applications.

The history of the relation between TINFOS and NIZI can be traced back to the thirties and is quite remarkable. Since 1947 NIZI had represented the Norwegian Ferrosilicon Producers' Association, now Fesil, belonging to all the Norwegian producers of ferro-silicon, except Orkla Smelteverk AS. For the sales of manganese alloys NIZI represented TINFOS JERNVERK AS and Porsgrund Elektrometallurgiske A/S (belonging to Elkem). As Elkem left that organization in 1979, NIZI agreed to end the cooperation with Elkem on manganese alloys and decided to sell exclusively the ferro silicon from Fesil and manganese alloys from TINFOS JERNVERK A/S. By the end of 1982, TINFOS JERNVERK A/S also left the Fesil organization, and NIZI decided to exclusively cooperate with TINFOS. At the same time the management agreement with Fesil Alliages SA ended.

Thanks to the support of TINFOS for silico manganese and the support received from British Steel Corporation from 1984 to 1991 and afterwards from Samancor for ferro-manganese, NIZI was able to develop and expand into a very important ferro-alloy supplier to France and Benelux. Such success was achieved through the close cooperation with Managing Director Kjartan Festøy, Sales Director Ole Øystein Haugen and Technical Director Matts Bruno of TINFOS JERNVERK AS in the introduction of high purity silico manganese to producers of special steels.

NIZI also benefited from the relationship with the French producer Bozel Electrométallurgie S.A. for calcium silicide. It is important to point out that it was through the initiative of NIZI that Bozel and Arbed Gentbrugge developed together the first Calcium Silicon cored wire in 1979 and following such development, NIZI promoted cored wire applications in the European and global markets.

During its long history, NIZI had to adapt to changes in traditional supply sources, some of which closed down. Following the cessation of production of ferro-silicon and silicon metal at TINFOS in 1986, and for various qualities of ferro-chromium and other special alloys that at one time were produced by the Metallurg Group, NIZI began to purchase materials from emerging countries. Keeping in pace with the globalization of markets, NIZI developed significant supply sources in the CIS and China as well as South East Asia, South America, and Africa.

NIZI's strengths in the three main market sectors of ferro-alloys, pig iron, and metal, have been complemented by other metal products, including iron powders, hard metals, and metal powders for the welding electrode industry and powder metallurgy. Over the years, NIZI also marketed electrodes and carbon products, industrial minerals, such as fluorspar, olivine and asbestos, ingot moulds, iron scrap, pellets, sulfur, magnesite refractories, and products from the chemical industry.

Suppliers included Höganäs A/B, (Sweden), Hermann C. Starck Berlin GmbH (Germany), Mr. Chomski (France), Compagnie Minière de Dong-Trieu, Le Dorat (France), Bouteiller Fluorchemie GmbH, Duisburg (Germany), Denain-Anzin Mineraux, S.A., (France), Mines de Segré, (France), Schenzler H. KG (Germany), Industrimineraler (Norway) and Hoogovens Gieterij Produkte (Holland).

In the late eighties, the inheritors of the founders of the Company held substantially all of the shares of the Company and they began to look for partners to participate on the ownership of NIZI. Existing business partners and friends during many decades were approached. In 1987 Metallurg, Inc. (USA) purchased approximately 22% of the shares, and in 1994 TINFOS JERNVERK AS (Norway) took over the remaining 78% of the shares. TINFOS JERNVERK AS purchased Metallurg's participation in 1998, leaving NIZI with a single owner, as when the Company started in 1898.

In the eighties Tinfos started to build up their own distribution and trading system by acquiring or founding distribution and trading companies in Europe. The main focus was given on having an own distribution system for the TINFOS products, like Silicon Manganese from Tinfos Jernverk SA and High Purity pig iron from Tinfos Titan & Iron KS, but also to expand the trading activities of the company. At the end of the nineties TINFOS were represented in Europe by sales & distribution offices in Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland and Switzerland as well as in USA.

As with past owners, who were mainly individuals, as well as with TINFOS, it has always been important to set aside a substantial part of the profit to develop the Company further. The idea of creating values for employees, the Company itself, and its shareholders, has been a major factor of NIZI's success during the past 100 years of operation.

For one hundred years NIZI has encountered many challenges, while constantly developing a spirit of service and commercial loyalty. Through a process of continuous innovation and know-how development NIZI has successfully grown into a flexible and creative supplier and service provider to, not only the steel and foundry industry, but also to the producers of the various raw materials.