Brazilian steelmaker CSA reached 80 percent of its plate production capacity in 2014, an executive said to local media this week.
Walter Medeiros, president at ThyssenKrupp CSA, said the Brazilian unit produced 4.1 million mt of steel plate, adding that about 85 percent of what CSA produces goes to the export market.
The company, which expects to complete a 5 million mt per year ramp up of its plate production by 2017, said the appreciated US dollar over other currencies has brought a strong competitiveness in the global market for the supply of steel plate.
However, ThyssenKrupp-owned CSA has “advantages” over its competitors.
“In those grades of steel that require a superior quality, such as in automotive … applications, the quality of our product bring advantages over our competitors, especially [compared to] those [competitors], which have older processes,” Medeiros said.
“We’re well-positioned in quality,” he added.
The executive also disregarded the possibility of ThyssenKrupp selling CSA. “Our focus is to improve our operational efficiency… The issue of the sale is completely out of consideration at this moment,” he said.
ThyssenKrupp tried to put CSA on sale in 2012, but it did not reach a deal.