Steel Market Production Cuts – Steelmaking operations at China’s Angang Heavy Machinery (AHM), one of China’s largest machine manufacturers, have been idled indefinitely after an explosion on February 20th that has left 13 workers killed and 17 injured. The cast steel plant involved in the incident has a 450,000 tonnes/year EAF and is capable of producing 30,000 t/y of steel castings, 100,000 t/y of ingots and 280,000 t/y of steel billet, according to company data.
Steel Market Production Cuts – The Sparrows Point, Md.-based steelmaker, RG Steel LLC, has temporarily idled its 4,000 tpd blast furnace at its Warren, Ohio, steelmaking complex following a Saturday morning tuyere failure, and the company expects the repairs to take about a week.
Steel Market Production Cuts – Turkish steel producers’ association (DCUD) expects February production to fall below January figures because of electricity and natural gas cuts that have affected steel production since the beginning of February.
Steel Market Production Increases – Argentinean longs producer Acindar’s expansion plan is progressing well as the company – controlled by global steel giant ArcelorMittal – prepares to make an extra 25,000 tonnes/year of special bar quality (SBQ) products in the short to medium term.
Steel Market Production Increases – Colombia’s steel industry may record 5% growth this year and reach 1.82m tonnes of production as a result of investments made by domestic and foreign steelmakers.
Steel Market Production Increases – Russia’s NLMK is conducting hot trials on a second 2m tonnes/year ladle furnace (LF), and the fourth LF in total, at its steelworks in Lipetsk, and the company expects to bring its combined ladle furnace capacity to 12 mtpy shortly.
Steel Market Production Increases – Tata Steel expects to complete the installation of two roller hearth furnaces at its thin slab casting and rolling plant at its integrated works in Jamshedpur (India) by the end of the first quarter of 2012. Both the furnaces have a reheating capacity of up to 280 tonnes/hour of slab.
Steel Market Production Increases – Korea’s Dongkuk Steel Mill expects capacity utilization at its heavy plate facilities to return to normal from next month after conducting output cutbacks since last December as it foresees plate demand recovering steadily after the first quarter.
Steel Market Production Increases – According to the latest survey by China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), China’s daily crude steel output is expected to increase by 1.9% to 1.7045 mt in early February as steel traders replenish their stockpiles following the Lunar New Year.
Sources: Steel Business Briefing, American Metal Market, Arab Steel, and Mysteel.
