German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has announced that it is shutting down its heavy plate mill in Duisburg-Hüttenheim after rolling the last orders.
The final closure of the mill will be completed by September 30 as part of the company’s Steel Strategy 20-30. The company does not see any economically viable future for the mill within the Thyssenkrupp Group and no buyer could be found for the business either. The remaining finished products will be delivered to customers by the date of closure.
More than 90 percent of the approximately 800 employees will be offered alternative jobs in the north of Duisburg or at other sites of Thyssenkrupp Steel.
The company’s hot strip cut-to-length line in Antwerp belonging to the heavy plate unit will not be affected by the closure. High-strength and wear-resistant cut-to-length plates, for example for trucks, construction or agricultural machinery, will remain in the portfolio of Thyssenkrupp Steel, as the line will continue operating.
Thyssenkrupp had decided not to sell Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, following talks on a possible acquisition of the company’s steel unit by UK-based Liberty Steel, and the company planned to continue to drive forward a sustainable position for steel on its own, as SteelOrbis previously reported.