Steel News

JFE Steel to Blow in Blast Furnace at West Japan Works

23 December 2009 - JFE Steel Corp.’s No. 3 blast furnace at the West Japan Works (Kurashiki)—currently undergoing a revamping that started in October—will be blown in for a fourth operating cycle beginning in mid-February 2010.

JFE Steel to Acquire 20% Interest in Byerwen Coal Project

22 December 2009 - JFE Steel will acquire a 20% interest in the Byerwen Coal project from QCoal, which is expected to start production in 2012 in the northern Bowen Basin of northeastern Queensland, Australia. JFE Steel also will take annual delivery of 2.0 million tonnes of premium hard coking coal delivered from the Byerwen Coal project.

Tata Steel Launches Safety Mascot

22 December 2009 - Tata Steel aims to produce “injury-free steel” with help from its new safety mascot Jeevan, which is adorned with Personal Protective Equipment such as goggles, helmet, safety shoes, and jacket—mandatory gear before entering the Steel Works.

Mechel First among Russian Hardware Producers

22 December 2009 - Mechel OAO cites a report from Prommetiz, a Russian association of hardware producers, that states in October and November 2009 the two plants of Mechel’s steel division became the leaders in hardware production among member companies of the association.

Krecké Appointed to ArcelorMittal Board of Directors

22 December 2009 - In replacement of Georges Schmit, who is stepping down on December 31, the Board has co-opted Jeannot Krecké as an interim board member starting January 1, 2010. Krecké’s full appointment will be proposed at the company’s Annual General Meeting in May.

World Steel Production up 24% in November

22 December 2009 - World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association stood at an estimated 107.48 million tonnes in November 2009 — 5.2% lower than the previous month (October 2009) but 24.2% higher than November 2008.

Köhler to Join Corus as New COO

21 December 2009 - Corus appoints Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler as its new Chief Operating Officer effective February 1, 2010. Köhler, 53, succeeds Rauke Henstra, who held the position until his retirement last year.

SMS group Increases Investment; Order Intake Slumps

18 December 2009 - The order intake of the SMS group in 2009 will drop to less than half of the EUR 5.15 billion in 2008. Capacity utilization has hardly been affected because the company is still working its way through a high stock of orders from the boom years.

Milestone for Posco-CSPC Accumulated Sales

18 December 2009 - Posco-CSPC achieved an accumulated sales mark of 1 million tonnes on December 16. It expects to achieve 300,000 tonnes in annual sales around December 21, which would make it the first Posco supply-chain management unit to reach that mark.

Nippon, HANWA Invest in Electro-galvanized Steel Sheet Manufacturer

18 December 2009 - Nippon Steel and HANWA have reached an agreement with Tatt Giap Group to acquire 10 and 15%, respectively, of the voting shares in E-Galv Steel from its largest shareholder, Tatt Giap Steel Centre, around the end of December.

Joint Taskforce Established for Teesside Mothballing

18 December 2009 - The National Steel Coordinating Committee and Teesside Multi-Union representatives have met with Corus to discuss the potential mothballing of Teesside Cast Products facilities. All parties have agreed to establish a joint taskforce to ensure that all alternatives to mothballing are fully examined.

Sumitomo Metals Signs MOU with Bhushan Steel, Opens Liaison Office

17 December 2009 - Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bhushan Steel Ltd. in India to receive an OEM supply of steel sheets manufactured in its Orissa Steel Works. Sumitomo also opened a liaison office near Delhi to assist its expansion in India.

Evraz Repays Loan to VEB

17 December 2009 - Evraz Group has repaid a US$800 million loan to Russia's State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs "Vnesheconombank” (VEB). The loan was provided to Evraz in December 2008 to refinance short-term debt to non-Russian banks.

i2 Helps Transform Essar Steel’s Supply Chain

17 December 2009 - Essar Steel has implemented i2 Technologies’ planning solutions in its Indian operations to increase profitability, enhance customer satisfaction, and improve operational efficiency.

Tenova TAKRAF Surface Miners Commissioned, Released for Production

17 December 2009 - Two Tenova TAKRAF TSM 300 surface miners supplied to HWE Mining Pty Ltd. have been released for production at the Yandi Iron Ore Mine in Western Australia. During the initial startup and training period, the cutting capacity averaged from 480 to 1110 tonnes per hour.

Corus Invests in French Steel Mill

16 December 2009 - Corus will invest €35 million at its rail production facility in Hayange, France, after securing a contract worth about €350 million to supply rails to French railway operator SNCF for the renewal and maintenance of the RFF (Réseau Ferré de France) tracks.

NLMK Upgrades Steelmaking Facilities

16 December 2009 - Novolipetsk Steel resumes production at its converter #2 after the upgrade of an emission system in the BOF shop #1. The company upgraded its converter #1 prior to this project, and it plans to begin the upgrade of converter #3 in March 2010.