EVRAZ North America announced Monday that due to subdued market demand and the high volume of imports, it will suspend operations at its steel mill in Claymont, Delaware.
Over the next two months, about 375 employees will complete processing and shipping of existing products and prepare the mill for idling. EVRAZ will consider restarting the operations as soon as market conditions improve.
EVRAZ doesn't expect any adverse financial effect on its operations in North America as a result of this action, and customers of the Claymont mill will be served by other EVRAZ facilities in Portland, Oregon, and Regina, Saskatchewan.
"We appreciate our employees' efforts to operate EVRAZ Claymont as efficiently as possible," said John Zanieski, Executive Vice President - Flat Products and Recycling. "Unfortunately, market conditions continue to be challenging and low market visibility makes it difficult to foresee when positive changes will occur."
All of the mill's employees, with the exception of a small crew who will remain to maintain the site, have been issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN).
With the help of Governor Markell's office, the company is evaluating options for resuming operations at the Claymont mill. "We value the support we have received from the Governor, the state of Delaware and the community of Claymont over the years and appreciate their continued support during this challenging time," stated Zanieski.
EVRAZ Claymont makes steel plate and custom plate products for industrial customers. Total production volumes in H1 2013 and for the whole of 2012 were 189,025 tons and 383,590 tons, respectively.