ArcelorMittal's Luxembourg headquarters announced its decision to suspend blast furnace production to align production with demand and ensure the safety of its employees after the outbreak of COVID-19.
The company announced a decision to suspend blast furnace No. 4 at its steel plant in Indiana Harbor in East Chicago. This follows the decision of automakers in the region to terminate their production facilities for cleaning. By the way, nearly 50% of the Indiana Harbor steel mill business is in the automotive industry. The plant has three blast furnaces, which employ about 400 people.
ArcelorMittal USA said it will work with the USW to minimize the impact of disruptions, providing opportunities for displaced workers at other sites in the company as much as possible. He noted that additional optimization of production capacities may be required to bring production into line with end-user demand.
The steelworker also decided to cut production at his Dofasco plant in Hamilton, Ontario. The company decided to blow up blast furnace No. 3 at the mill, which is the smallest of the three blast furnaces at the mill. In addition, he also decided to take adequate measures to reduce production at his European enterprises.
