ArcelorMittal Tallin to restart production in February

ArcelorMittal Tallin, Estonia-based steel galvanizing subsidiary of the world's leading steelmaker ArcelorMittal, plans to restart its production operations in February 2010, as the market situation and demand has improved. Systems tests were started in December.
 
ArcelorMittal Tallin, which has an annual production capacity of 500,000 mt of hot dipped galvanized steel sheet in coils, stopped its operations in April 2009 due to the global economic crisis. 70 employees are working at the plant at the current time.
 
"Our objective is not to conquer the Estonian market since local orders are very small," said one executive, adding that the plant's monthly production capacity is equal to Estonia's full-year demand for galvanized steel. ArcelorMittal Tallin's closest competitor is Finnish steel company Ruukki, Baltic Business News reported, adding that the plant exports most of its output via truck and railway to Russia.
 
ArcelorMittal Tallinn (formerly known as Galvex) joined the ArcelorMittal group in March 2008.