ArcelorMittal finishes $27M renovation at Québec steel mill
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
The steel and mining giant has completed a new finishing line at its bar mill in Longueuil, Québec, increasing the facility's annual rolling capacity from 400,000 to 500,000 tonnes
LONGUEUIL, Que.—After 18 months of work, steel producer ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada inaugurated a new finishing line at its bar mill in Longueuil, Québec on June 7.
Representing a $27 million investment, this equipment will increase the facility’s annual rolling capacity from 400,000 to 500,000 tonnes.
The bar mill will also now be able to manufacture new value-added steel products, including angles—used in the construction of electric pylons and building structures.
“Our new finishing line has been built to better respond to the needs of our clients and support the company’s development over the next few years. The project is part of our growth strategy to maximize the profitability of our steel,” said Sujit Sanyal, president and CEO, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada.
This investment, which ArcelorMittal says will maintain some 200 bar mill jobs, is part of the company’s modernization program, which has seen nearly $300 million invested since 2008.
In addition, ArcelorMittal says the upgraded finishing line will have a direct impact on packaging and delivery performance.
The Longueuil facility manufactures special-grade and merchant bars, reinforcing steel (rebar) and various other semi-finished steel products for customers in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Longueuil steel is found in Montreal’s Bell Centre (home of the Canadiens hockey club) and the city’s new Champlain Bridge.
The mill is also a major supplier of cathode bars for Québec’s aluminum smelters, and the world’s largest supplier of steel used in leaf springs for light and heavy trucks.
“We are delighted that ArcelorMittal has decided to pursue its growth in Longueuil. A key player in our local economy for more than 40 years, it is unquestionably contributing to the development of a specialized workforce here,” said Caroline St-Hilaire, mayor of Longueuil.
In 2013, the bar mill, which has been in operation since 1974, received a new $24 million heating furnace.
