Another US mill can be added to the list of steelmakers cutting production due to lack of orders: AK Steel.
The United Steel Workers (USW) Union has confirmed that US flat rolled steelmaker AK Steel will idle its Mansfield, Ohio plant from mid-November through year-end.
The USW Local 169 expects layoffs of up to 400 employees to result from the idling of the mill.
In a third-quarter earnings call that took place last week, in response to a question regarding whether it would cut production, AK CEO James Wainscott said that while AK "does not base decisions on what the rest of the industry does" and prefers to operate as full as possible, it does intend to match production with the amount of customer orders.
AK's Mansfield operations include stainless steel melting, casting, hot and cold rolling and finishing operations. The specialty flat rolled steels produced at Mansfield serve the automotive, appliances, cutlery, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and processing equipment industries.
Another of the many North American flat rolled steelmakers that recently cut production is US Steel Canada -- The company began shutting down its Hamilton, Ontario blast furnace last week. The tentative time line for the shutdown is six to eight weeks. The plant, which also includes a finishing mill and galvanizing line, employs about 2,100 workers.