International Steel Mills
CRU: Grupo Simec Shuts Two Republic Steel Mills For Good
Written by Steve Garnsey
October 16, 2023
Specialty steel producer Grupo Simec has permanently closed down its Republic Steel mills in Canton, Ohio, and Lackawanna, in New York state, it has emerged.
In August, the company blamed an extremely challenging special bar quality (SBQ) market, competitive market pricing, decreased demand, higher input costs, and the general inflationary environment for an indefinite idling. Around 500 employees were furloughed.
A company lawyer has since told Ohio’s attorney general’s office that the closure is permanent. The office described the information as confidential but critical to share because of ongoing settlement negotiations of the state’s air pollution case against the company, local newspaper, The Canton Repository, reported.
Simec has insisted that Republic Steel, as the only producer of leaded steel in North America, took many steps over the years to remain compliant with ever-changing environmental regulations, particularly related to air quality. But continuing to produce in facilities up to 125 years old proved to be too challenging.
Therefore, the Guadalajara, Mexico-headquartered group transferred its leaded steel production to a new, state-of-the-art mill in Tlaxcala, central Mexico. The rest of Canton’s and Lackawanna’s output of SBQ, rod, wire, rebar, and other long products were also moved there during the initial idling.
Steve Garnsey
Read more from Steve GarnseyLatest in International Steel Mills
Ternium’s Vedoya named AIST’s Steelmaker of the Year
Maximo Vedoya was awarded in recognition of Ternium’s expansion project in Pesquería, Mexico, and Ternium’s efforts to decarbonize steelmaking.
CRU: Baosteel hints at output cuts in China
Baosteel exec comments on market rumors of 50 million tons of output being cut this year, less than 0.5% of the 1 billion tons-plus China has produced annually in recent years.
POSCO mulls teaming up with Hyundai on Louisiana mill
South Korea’s POSCO is eyeing linking up with Hyundai Steel in the project to build a steel plant in Louisiana, according to media reports.
Global steel production edges lower in February
February’s global raw steel output is tied with last December's for the fourth-lowest monthly production rate recorded over the past two years.
Japanese PM cites ‘unjust political interference’ in Nippon/USS deal: Report
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday that former President Joe Biden’s decision to block Nippon Steel’s buy of U.S. Steel was “unjust political interference,” according to a report in Reuters. This comes after another Reuters report on Friday saying that President Trump would not object to Nippon taking a minority stake in the […]