Beltrame, the Italian-headquartered merchant bar supplier, has extended stoppages to its French units this week after previously halting operations in Italy, Kallanish learns from the company.
The company stopped production at its plant in Vicenza, north-western Italy, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. “Since 24 February, the company has adopted increasingly stringent precautionary measures to cope with the spread of coronavirus,” it says. “To date, no case of Covid-19 has been found among our collaborators, but the decision has been made to suspend industrial activity at the Vicenza plant. In the other Italian plants of San Giovanni and San Didero activity has been slowed down.”
This week, production was also halted at its plant in France, named LME. “Because we all need to face this situation and contain the virus, the decision to stop all direct and indirect activities was taken from the beginning of this week up to 31 March included,” Beltrame explains.
Large stoppages among steelmakers have already been reported in Italy, Spain and France, with more expected in other European countries going forward.