U.S. Steel To End Steelmaking Operations At Storied Alabama Plant

U.S. Steel announced Monday it will permanently close its blast furnace and most of its flat-rolled operations at Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Ala., affecting 1,100 employees, according to U.S. Steel spokeswoman Sarah Cassella. “The modern construction of the EAF at Fairfield Works arranged of the facility’s existent blast furnace was in fact involved in that is actually analysis”. That equipment and most of the finishing operations will be permanently closed on or after November 17.

Brazilian-born Chief Executive Mario Longhi has said Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel must adapt and that “everything is on the table” in remaking the company. The domestic steel industry has been buffeted for years by low prices and foreign imports. Electric arc furnaces make steel by melting down scrap, rather than starting from scratch with iron ore and coal. He said U.S. Steel was signaling “its exit from the spot coil business in the South”.

“It will be a tremendous loss to them and their families”, he said.

United States Steel Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., is a leading integrated steel producer and Fortune 200 company with major production operations in the United States and Central Europe and an annual raw steelmaking capability of 24.4 million net tons.

U.S. Steel, along with rival ArcelorMittal, is embroiled in tense talks with the USW over a new three-year labor deal.

The move would shut down Fairfield Works’ blast furnace, associated steelmaking operations and most of the location’s finishing operations.

The slab and rounds casters, the #5 coating line and the Double G hot-dip galvanizing joint venture in Jackson, Mississippi would continue to operate.