Latin America-focused steelmaker Ternium commenced production at its Palmar de Varela mill in Colombia, the company said, adding that the facility produced its first batch of rebar.
The mill has now entered a “probe phase,” in which production levels and adjustments will be made. Ternium said tests at its brand-new Palmar de Varela mill in Colombia are expected to continue until January 2021. By then, the company expects to have a 520,000 mt/year capacity rolling mill ready to produce rebar, among other products.
The new steel bar and coil facility was first expected to be completed during 2019. The project launch was then delayed to April this year, and again to November, following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ternium owns several facilities in Colombia, including the Manizales mini-mill, located in Caldas, which produces billets and rebar, and the Barranquilla unit, a steel service center that produces slitted, cut-to-length, drawn wire, wire mesh and customized rebar-based products.