As reported by Italian media, Italian steelmaker Aferpi, formerly the Piombino-based facilities of Lucchini, is this week restarting the production of steel rails after the arrival of about 30,000 mt of blooms from India and the UK. Production had been stopped in late March due to the lack of semi-finished steel.
Aferpi has been experiencing difficulties since it was created by Algerian group Cevital after it bought the Piombino facilities from Italian steelmaker Lucchini. Aferpi's workers continue to demonstrate against the lack of a clear industrial plan by Cevital - owned by entrepreneur Issad Rebrab.
On April 19, Aferpi's management will meet with the Italian government and local authorities to discuss the investments promised for the steelworks. If the outcome of the meeting is negative, the Italian government could look to other solutions. There have been rumors about interest coming from British Steel, and from JSW Steel which is already competing to acquire the assets of Italian steelmaker Ilva.