Thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel is to stop production at its Isbergues plant in France from June to September, amid worsening market conditions for grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES), Kallanish notes.
The shutdown follows earlier production cuts at both Isbergues and the Germany-based Gelsenkirchen site, with the French facility operating at around 50% capacity since January. The latest measure comes amid an intensifying surge in GOES imports into Europe. Despite the stoppage, the company says customer supply will be maintained.
“In view of the ruinous flood of imports in the market for grain-oriented electrical steel, we see no alternative but to temporarily shut down our French site once again … We are faced with import prices that in some cases lie well below production costs in the EU. We therefore urgently need appropriate trade protection to establish fair competitive conditions for this strategically important product,” Thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel chief executive Angelo di Martino says.
“This also concerns around 1,200 skilled jobs, which we aim to safeguard at our sites in Gelsenkirchen and Isbergues,” he adds. The company is in talks with the European Commission to implement effective safeguards measures, he notes.
EU GOES imports have tripled since 2022 and increased by a further 50% in 2025, now accounting for more than half of the bloc’s market, according to the steelmaker. This has led to a sharp decline in order intake and significant decrease in domestic consumption.
Despite the current pressure, long-term fundamentals remain positive. Global demand for grain-oriented electrical steel is expected to triple by 2050. Thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel is one of only three European producers of GOES, used in transformers for power grids and renewable energy applications. Maintaining European GOES production is seen as strategic for energy security and the transition to low-carbon energy.
