Steel Market Production Increases – Chinese steel company Baogang has ordered a 400,000 tpy quenching line to produce rails and is expected to begin operations within twelve months.

Steel Market Production Increases – Indian steelmaker Agni Steel is close to commissioning the billet plant of a new South African rebar facility, with the finishing end not expected to come on-line until at least 2014.

Steel Market Production Cuts – Chicago based steelmaker JMC Steel Group has laid off roughly 43% of the workforce at its subsidiary Energex Tube’s Ontario facility and is contemplating a permanent closure of a pipe mill at the location.

Sources: Steel Business Briefing, SteelOrbis, American Metal Market

Steel Market Production Increases – Chinese steelmaker Wanli New Materials recently began production of a new 1.2 mtpy pickling line and has plans to commission a 400,000 tpy annealing line in January.

Steel Market Production Increases – Chinese steel company Guoheng Die-Casting Co. is investing in a new steelmaking facility that will have capacity of 900,000 tpy as well as a 1 mtpy longs rolling mill that are expected to come online by the end of 2013.

Steel Market Production Cuts – Taiwanese steelmaker Dragon Steel Corp announced that it will postpone the planned start-date of a 2.5 mtpy blast furnace at the Taichung facility from year-end 2012 to March 2013.

Steel Market Production Increases – Production has been temporarily halted at ArcelorMittal’s Basse-Indre facility in France, due to a strike over the possible shifting of pickling operations from Basse-Indre to the Florange facility. The strike is expected to end by Friday.

Sources: Steel Business Briefing, SteelOrbis