ArcelorMittal, a leading steel manufacturer, announced last week that it will re-open part of its west side Cleveland mill. A portion of the facility was idled in 2008 because of slow market conditions.

The re-opening means ArcelorMittal will add 150 salaried and hourly employees to the current staff of 1,700. The current staff is performing maintenance work in preparation for the restart. The new hires will mainly be skilled crafts persons and entry-level operators. The company will provide the training and support necessary to ensure that new hires are prepared to work safely, intelligently and effectively.

“The ability to restart steel producing is due in large part to ArcelorMittal Cleveland’s concentrated efforts to remain flexible and efficient, no matter what the market conditions,” says Eric Hague, vice president and general manager of the Cleveland plant. “The flexibility of our workforce, and strong partnership with United Steelworkers Local 979, is the cornerstone of our efforts to safely produce quality steel for our customers.”

No exact date has been set for the opening, but it should be sometime in the spring. All laid-off workers have been rehired and the new hires will be taken from an existing applicant pool. The Cleveland restart has the potential to add 480,000 tons of annual steel supply to its production capability, dependent on market conditions.

Source: Eric Hague
Writer: Karin Connelly