ArcelorMittal to close Italian plant near Avellino

ArcelorMittal will close its Italian plant near Avellino (Italy). The subsidiary is scheduled to close on July 31, Kallanish reports.

A company spokesperson explained that the company is facing a number of problems. Some of them are specific to its geography and market, while others are part of the pan-European crisis in the steel industry.

The Avellino facility, which employs 70 people, specializes in processing flat galvanized steel into pre-painted products. It serves the construction and household appliance sectors.

As the company explained, everything possible was done to preserve this production. However, the scale of the problems faced by the plant and the financial losses incurred in recent years led to the conclusion that it was necessary to close the enterprise. ArcelorMittal will work with trade unions to ensure the support of all employees affected by this move.

As a reminder, ArcelorMittal has announced a maintenance program worth more than €270 million, which will include the suspension of certain operations at its French plants in Dunkirk and FOS-sur-Mer for several months. The main blast furnace in Dunkirk will be shut down starting April 15. The modernization of blast furnace and No. 1 in Fos-sur-Mer will start by the end of the first quarter of this year.

As GMK Center reported earlier, ArcelorMittal’s European unit increased steel production by 8.3% in 2024 – to 31.2 million tons compared to 2023.

Steel production in blast furnaces (BF) increased by 10.8% y/y – to 25.7 million tons, while production in electric arc furnaces (EAF) decreased by 1.8% y/y – to 5.5 million tons.