Spain’s largest stainless steel producer, Acerinox, is set to halt production from its 1 million metric ton per year smelter in Los Barrios, Cadiz, Spain starting Oct. 12, following a temporary lay-off agreement with workers, Spanish media reported on Oct. 9 citing company sources.
Acerinox did not respond the request for comment on Oct. 9.
According to a report published in Diario de Cadiz citing a message from the company to workers, the halt is due to low demand and loss of clients.
The plant’s hot-rolling mill is due to halt on Oct. 12, the report said, while the cold-rolling mill could halt later, the report said.
The temporary lay-off, known as ERTE in Spain, was agreed upon by unions and management who, in July agreed a new deal through 2027.
This decision followed industrial action at the plant, which resulted in a complete halt of production for approximately four months this year.
As a consequence, the company reported a 17% decline in its worldwide crude steel production in the second quarter, totaling 405,000 t.
Acerinox operates stainless plants in Spain, US, and South Africa as well as production facilities for high performance alloys in Germany, with a combined melting shop capacity of 3.5 MMt/y.
In Asia, the company confirmed it halted production in May from its Malaysian subsidiary Bahru Stainless.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the Global Daily Dealer Molybdenum Oxide at $22.15/lb on Oct. 8, up from the previous assessment of $22.075/lb.
