Steel News

SSAB Americas to Speed Orders for COVID-19 Relief

09 April 2020 - SSAB Americas will give priority designation to orders arising from COVID-19 disaster relief programs, the company has announced.

Ohio Blast Furnace Being Taken Off-Line

09 April 2020 - ArcelorMittal is preparing to idle the No. 6 blast furnace at its Cleveland, Ohio, USA, facility, reports The Times newspaper of northwest Indiana.

Nippon Steel Adjusts Production

08 April 2020 - Nippon Steel Corp. will bank two blast furnaces later this month and curtail coke production as it adjusts to lower demand, the company has said.

BlueScope Pushes Back Ohio Expansion Project

07 April 2020 - BlueScope Steel Ltd. is delaying the expansion of its North Star sheet mill as it looks to preserve cash during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weak Energy Demand Forces EVRAZ to Close Pipe Mill

07 April 2020 - With energy pipeline projects falling to the wayside, EVRAZ North America is idling its spiral-weld pipe mill in Oregon, reports The Oregonian newspaper.

Vallourec Announces North American Layoffs

06 April 2020 - Energy tubulars maker Vallourec is laying off more than one-third of its North American workforce due to collapsing demand from oil and gas producers.

USIMINAS Sets COVID-19 Curtailments

06 April 2020 - Brazilian integrated producer Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA (USIMINAS) is shutting down two blast furnaces and halting other operations due to falling demand.

Ford Delays Plant Restarts

01 April 2020 - Ford Motor Co. has pushed back the planned restart of North American plants, saying that it is taking the step to help better protect workers.

AK Steel Banks Michigan Blast Furnace

31 March 2020 - With the COVID-19 pandemic having brought North American auto production to a halt, AK Steel is temporarily idling its Dearborn Works in Michigan, reports Fastmarkets AMM.

An Aging Population, Other Market Challenges Force JFE Steel to Resize

30 March 2020 - JFE Steel will permanently close a blast furnace in southeastern Japan as part of a plan to consolidate operations and refocus on key products, the company has announced.

SSAB Begins Layoff Negotiations

30 March 2020 - SSAB is preparing to initiate a round of temporary layoffs at its Finnish operations, citing weak demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ArcelorMittal Brazil to Idle Blast Furnace

30 March 2020 - ArcelorMittal Brazil will temporarily idle a blast furnace at its Tubarão plant and throttle back production at some of its long steel plants, reports commodities news and pricing service S&P Global Platts.

Indian Steel Producers Set COVID-19 Curtailments

26 March 2020 - JSW Steel, Tata Steel and ArcelorMittal are all pulling back on production despite exceptions that allow them to run during the country’s national COVID-19 lockdown.

thyssenkrupp, Labor Union Agree to Long-Term Strategic Plan, Coronavirus Curtailments

25 March 2020 - thyssenkrupp and the IG Metall labor union have come to terms on a plan in which the company will shed 3,000 steel jobs over six years, but will invest EUR800 million in its plants during that time, thyssenkrupp has announced.

voestalpine Idles Blast Furnace; Closes Global Sites

25 March 2020 - voestalpine has closed facilities in Europe, South America and the U.S. and will temporarily reduce hours at other European sites as global economy slows.

U. S. Steel Idles Ohio, Texas Tube Mills

24 March 2020 - United States Steel Corporation has informed workers that will indefinitely idle its seamless tube plant in Lorain, Ohio, as well as its Lone Star tubular operations in Texas, reports The (Elyria, Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram newspaper.

ArcelorMittal, Gerdau Idling Some North American Assets

24 March 2020 - Some North American producers have announced production curtailments following word that automakers would temporarily halt production lines amidst the spread of the coronavirus.

February Sees Crude Steel Output Increase

23 March 2020 - Global crude steel production rose 3.1% in February 2020 to approximately 143.7 million metric tons, according to the World Steel Association.

Report: Excess Steel Inventory Poses Major Challenge to Chinese Producers

23 March 2020 - China’s steel market will have to confront a crushing tidal wave of steel that is sitting in inventory and likely to put tremendous pressure on prices this spring, reports commodities news and pricing service S&P Global Platts.

Coronavirus Prompts ArcelorMittal to Reduce European Production

19 March 2020 - ArcelorMittal is reducing production in Europe due to impacts from the coronavirus, the company said Thursday.