Steel Mills

ArcerlorMittal Dofasco to Get $87 Million Upgrade
Written by Sandy Williams
February 9, 2014
ArcelorMittal announced it will spend $87 million over the next five years to upgrade the #2 and 3 coke batteries at its Dofasco mill. The repairs will help “improve the efficiency of our production and improve our environmental performance as well,” said company spokesman Tony Valeri, according to a report by The Spec. The company was charged with 13 emission violations in March of 2013 but the on-going case has been fraught with delays. The pre-trial hearing has been set for March 27, 2014. The oldest coke battery at ArcelorMittal Dofasco is scheduled to be shut down in March 2015.
ArcelorMittal also announced in the 2013 earnings report that construction will be restarted on the 660,000 ton per year heavy gauge galvanizing line #6. Completion of the $153 million projects is expected in 2015, at which time the #2 line (400,000ktpy) will be shut down. The new line will boost production by 260,000 tons per year and will have Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) capability. The $33 million temper mill is also schedule for completion this year.
In other news, Dofasco employees were informed on Friday (Feb. 8) that bonus payments from the company’s profit-sharing and variable compensation plans will be the highest they have seen since 2004, averaging around $20,000 each.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills

AHMSA opens doors to potential buyers as $1.3B asset auction nears
AHMSA is opening its doors to potential buyers to tour its steel plant and mining operations in northern Mexico in preparation for the next stage of its bankruptcy process: the auction of its assets.

USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.

Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.

ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).

Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!