The focus of steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa’s (AMSA’s) strategic asset footprint review has shifted to its Newcastle mill, in KwaZulu-Natal, following the completion of the first phase of the review, which resulted in a decision to close the Saldanha Steel operation in the Western Cape. CEO Kobus Verster tells Engineering News Online that various restructuring options are being considered, but cautions that Newcastle’s position is precarious, owing to the erosion of the mill’s structural competitiveness in recent years.
