Thyssenkrupp has now made the final decision to cease production of quarto plate. The company says it “…does not see a future for the business unit Heavy Plate anymore,” and intends to close the Hüttenheim, Duisburg plant for good by end-September 2021. In the meantime, it will be confined to fulfilling existing orders.
Thyssenkrupp could not find a buyer for the mill, “…even after renewed efforts in recent days,” it writes in a statement sent to Kallanish upon request. The aforementioned efforts might refer to Dillinger-Saarstahl group, which, according to local media, was the last to hold talks with thyssenkrupp in this matter.
At a Dillinger-Saarstahl press conference some weeks ago, its new chief executive, Karl-Ulrich Köhler, gave a vague response to questions about Dillinger’s interest in thyssenkrupp’s plate mill (see Kallanish passim).
The Hüttenheim mill has been making losses for years, without the prospect of a sustainable recovery, thyssenkrupp observes. Its product range includes wear-resistant steels for construction machinery, pipeline steels, plate for shipbuilding and for mobile cranes. The mill has been operating since 1963.
The company notes that 90% of the approximately 800 employees will be employed at other operations of thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg, and that early retirement schemes will be offered to others. It reiterates that the site in Antwerp, Belgium, will be unaffected by the closure of the reversing mill, and that it will continue to cut plate from hot-rolled strip.
