UK-based Liberty Steel’s subsidiary Liberty Liège has stated that it has received the funding required to carry out the first step of the transformation plan for its Flémalle and Tilleur plants in Belgium from Liberty Steel Group.
The plants are expected to be restarted by mid-February thanks to the funding.
The transformation plan, which is expected to be well advanced by the spring, includes the Liberty Liège tinning line at Tilleur developing a new business model, which will see it build partnerships with major customers to manufacture specialist packaging for their products, and the G5 galvanization line at Flémalle being used to generate short-term profits.
“Now we have the initial funding in place, we are able to restructure and ramp up the business as soon as possible. We continue to encourage the regional government to support the delivery of this plan. With the continuing rise in energy prices in Europe, with their impact on cheap imports, we also need the continued commitment of the unions to support the transformation of Liberty Liège, which will make the business more productive and more competitive,” Toker Özcan, CEO of Liberty Steel GREENSTEEL EMEA, said.