ArcelorMittal completes $27 million finishing line at Longueuil bar mill

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada, a part of ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading integrated steel and mining company, has announced completion of a new finishing line at its bar mill in Longueuil, Quebec. The company had announced $27 million investment to update its finishing line in October 2015. It took 18 months to complete the work. The official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 7. The dignitaries who participated in the inauguration event included Sujit Sanyal, Chief Executive Officer, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada, Caroline St-Hilaire, Mayor of Longueuil and Guy Gaudette, Regional Representative for Quebec’s Steelworkers Union, Syndicat des Métallos.

Sujit Sanyal, President and CEO, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada stated that the new finishing line has been built to better respond to client needs and to support the projected rapid development of the company over the next few years. The upgradation project is part of the company’s growth strategy to maximize its steel profitability, he added. He thanked local contractors and suppliers for playing a major role in the Longueuil expansion project. Apart from the main equipment which was brought from Europe, the rest of the equipment, products and services were locally sourced, Sanyal noted.

Meantime, Caroline St-Hilaire, Mayor of Longueuil stated that the City is delighted that ArcelorMittal has decided to pursue its growth in the region. Being part of the local economy for more than 40 years, the company has been in the forefront in making significant contributions to the development of a specialized workforce in Longueuil. She also appreciated ArcelorMittal’s various social commitment projects that have immensely benefitted Longueuil community over the past several years.

The new finishing line is expected to increase the annual rolling capacity of Longueuil facility from 400,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes. The new finishing line will facilitate manufacture of a range of value-added steel products, including angles, to be supplied to local as well as international markets. The project has resulted in consolidation of nearly 200 jobs at the plant, company officials noted. The upgraded finishing line is also expected to provide major boost to packaging and delivery performance at the mill.

The Longueuil mill processes steel billets from the company’s two Contrecoeur steelworks and converts them into special-grade and merchant bars, reinforcing steel bars and various other semi-finished steel products. The mill supplies products to customers in Canada, the US and Mexico. Incidentally, Longueuil bar mill is a key supplier of steel for leading automotive companies and cathode bars for Quebec aluminum smelters.

As part of modernization program, ArcelorMittal has invested nearly $300 million in the plant since 2008. In 2013, it had carried out a major $24 million upgrade at the facility towards installation of a new heating furnace. The investment had resulted in significant improvement to the bar mill’s efficiency. It had also led to drastic reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission at the facility.