Global steel giant ArcelorMittal has announced that it will invest €67 million in a new production line for automotive steels at its Florange site in eastern France and will also invest €29 million in its Dunkerque plant's steel shop, to deliver technical improvements that will provide greater flexibility for high value-added products.
At its Florange site, the company will construct a new line with an annual production capacity of 600,000 mt for the production of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) for the automotive industry. The line will strengthen ArcelorMittal’s position in advanced high strength steels for the automotive industry, which has been a focus of its R&D efforts. This project is part of the company’s strategy to have a centre of excellence for automotive steels production at Florange and Mouzon in France’s Lorraine region and at Dudelange in Luxembourg. The new line, which will replace the current electro-galvanizing line, will be operational by the middle of 2019.
At the Dunkerque plant, the vacuum degassing unit will be modified, adding steel desulphurization, and a better slag retention system will be installed on the converters. These projects will be operational in the fourth quarter of 2018.