Czech steelmaker Vitkovice Steel A.S. has announced that it has halted operations at its meltshop in Ostrava due to difficulties in maintaining production in the long term. 271 workers will be laid off gradually by the company up to the end of the current year.
Vitkovice Steel’s rolling mill and other plants will continue production. The company will focus on the production of heavy plates and will replace the missing output of slab with deliveries from suppliers in the European Union and Russia.
"Our current condition is at a decent level, and during the next few years we expect it to improve, because closure of the steelworks will allow us to further develop the operations of our company," stated Dmitrij Scuka, chairman of Vitkovice Steel.