In an announcement Friday, the company said that it is allocating roughly US$78.7 million for a dedicated automotive steel coating line at its Florange facility in eastern France. The new 600,000-metric-ton line, which will replace the facility’s underutilized electrogalvanizing line, will be capable of producing ArcelorMittal’s new Usibor 2000 advanced high-strength steel. 

The line will be integrated with the facility’s hot strip mill and pickling line. 

“The line … strengthens ArcelorMittal’s position in advanced high-strength steels for the automotive industry, which has been a focus of its research and development efforts. This has led to the design of Usibor 2000, which the group is soon to produce on an industrial scale. The line will put ArcelorMittal in a strong position to meet fast-growing demand for Usibor,” ArcelorMittal said in a statement.  

The line is to be put into service by mid-2019. 

Elsewhere, the company plans to spend approximately US$34 million on upgrades to the steel shop at its Dunkerque facility in northern France.   

Through the project, ArcelorMittal will add desulphurization abilities to its vacuum degasser and install an improved slag retention system on the converters. The upgrades will allow the facility to make Usibor 2000. 

The upgrades are to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018.

“These investments are wholly in line with the strategy of ArcelorMittal Atlantique & Lorraine. This is an important step in our plan to reach our performance objectives over the long term: enhanced efficiency, quality and customer service,” ArcelorMittal Atlantique & Lorraine chief executive Eric Niedziela said.