Steel Market Production Increases – SSI UK’s steelmaking operation on Teesside in northeast England has produced its first slabs since its furnace was relit over the weekend. The company expects to achieve a production rate of 3.6 million tpy of slab for shipment to SSI’s rolling operations in Thailand.

Steel Market Production Increases – Meigang, a sister company of Baosteel has begun a trial operation of its number 3 casting line at its new Nanjing steelworks. The location’s number 4 continuous casting line is slated to begin trials in May – which together with the number 3 line would increase the company’s billet capacity by 4.1 million tonnes per year.

Steel Market Production Increases – Turkish steelmaker Erdemir plans to install a new cold rolling mill at its Eregli works in Malatya and intends to increase its tin plating capacity by an unspecified amount as well.

Steel Market Production Increases – Spanish steelmaker Grupo Hierros Añon has obtained a preliminary license for the steelworks it intends to build in the northern Brazilian state of Ceará. The facility is expected to begin initial production in the first half of 2013 with an eventual capacity of 2 million tonnes per year.

Steel Market Production Increases –Shanxi Province-based Chinese steelmaker Zhashui Tongxin Rolled Steel Co. has begun construction on steel plate and bar facilities that will have production capacities of 400,000 and 300,000 tonnes per year respectively. The facilities are expected to be commissioned at the end of September this year.

Sources: Steel Business Briefing, American Metal Market, MySteel, SteelOrbis