ArcelorMittal has confirmed that it is planning to restart an idled blast furnace at its East Chicago, Indiana mill in response to improving market demand.
The company said Thursday that it is bringing back online the No. 4 blast furnace and No. 3 steel-producing shop at its Indiana Harbor Works. It did not provide a timeline for the restart.
It is not known how many workers would be hired or when they would return, but nearly 1,000 workers were laid off last summer when the mill shut down some operations. Tom Tyrka, president of the United Steelworkers Local 1011, hailed the decision as good news for the mill’s workers.
Several other American steel producers, including
US Steel and Severstal
North America, have also recently announced the restart of some idled capacities in response to increased demand.