Tata Steel Europe is building a new finishing line for hot-dipped galvanized steel, which is used in car body panels. The new facilities in the Netherlands will provide employment for six people and open in 2014.

Dook van den Boer, site manager of Tata Steel in IJmuiden, said, "With this expansion we will improve our market position as a supplier of high-quality products for sectors like the automotive industry.

"The investment is part of our program ‘The Best Steel for Tomorrow’, which will help us become one of the world’s leading steel producers by investing, growing and cutting costs."

The new installation will cut galvanized steel to width and, through its state-of-the-art inspection technology, will further improve the quality of galvanized steel from Tata Steel in IJmuiden.

The extra finishing capacity will also enable the company to increase its volume of cold rolled products. By installing a dedicated finishing line for hot-dipped galvanized steel, the finishing line at the cold rolling mill no longer has to be used for that purpose.