Ternium's Vedoya named AIST's Steelmaker of the Year

When accepting the award, Vedoya emphasized the need for industry coalitions to counter unfair trade practices. This includes containing unfair imports from China and its satellite countries by strengthening regional supply chains.

Regarding the USMCA, the agreement that replaced NAFTA, Vedoya urged collaboration in North America to build a better and more effective trade agreement, particularly to thwart unfair imports from Asia.

“This next chapter in manufacturing must be built on safety, environmental protection, community engagement, and smarter technologies,” he said.

He also discussed the Mexico expansion. In its quarterly call last week, the Luxembourg-based steelmaker said it expects the new steel slab mill in Pesquería will begin operations by Q4’26 and will produce 2.6 million metric tons of low-carbon steel annually.

The pickling and finishing lines have started operation. The cold-rolling mill and galvanized line are scheduled to begin on time in December.

Ternium increased the budget for the large-scale expansion to $4 billion, a 16% increase from its estimate in February, primarily due to higher construction costs and extended deadlines.

The mill will deliver a full range of automotive-grade products with the lowest CO2 emissions per ton in the market, Vedoya said.