New Iran Tinplate Plant Starts up

SHANGHAI, July 1 -- Farrokh Shahr Steel Industries has started production at a new 150,000 tpy capacity tinplate facility in Iran, Metal Bulletin reports. The mill was inaugurated by Iranian vice president Mohammad Reza Rahimi and the Iranian minister of industries and mines, Ali Akbar Mehrabian on 16 June 2010. Commercial production began a few months ago and the company plans to produce 120,000 tonnes in its first year of operation, mainly for the local market.

Local news media report that the mill is located on a site of 50 hectares close to Farrokh Shahr city in the province of Chahar Mahal-e-Bakhtiyari. About US$48 million has been invested in the project and some 250 workers will be employed at the plant when it operates at full capacity. It will obtain CRC steel from Iran's Mobarakeh Steel and other sources. The latter company already has its own tin mill, which produced some 116,000 tonnes of tinplate in the latest Iranian year (to 21 March).