Arcelor is set to start manufacturing the pieces in summer 2017, compared to the 90-metre pieces it is currently producing. This situation will make the Gijon-based factory “unique” within the company, and will enable the facilities to become some of the best in the world.
The Asturian Arcelor Mittal plant, located in Gijon, has become the exclusive supplier of a new metro line in Sydney (Australia). The factory will be the sole supplier for the first phase, which will require the production of 6,500 tonnes. Despite being so far away from Sydney, the Asturian plant was the most competitive in the market.
It is yet another project to add to the company’s history in Asturias. Together with the Arcelor plant in Poland, it has renewed a contract with Deutshe Bahn – leader in Germany in the rail infrastructures sector – until 2018. It has also signed the first contract with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which is set to supply 32,000 tonnes of track over the next two years, for which the plants in Poland and Rodange (Luxembourg) will also come into play.
Along with the previous projects, the factory in Gijon continues to grow. In fact, it is to commence the manufacturing of larger pieces for summer 2017, a situation that will transform the Asturian-based factory into one of the most competitive in the world, at least within the company, in the railway sector. The company currently produces pieces measuring 90 metres, and produces around 400,000 tonnes each year.
Despite the plant in Poland producing 120-metre pieces, the Arcelor in Gijon railroad line is able to achieve a higher-quality production than its competitors. As such, it has been able to increase the length of the pieces to 108 metres, making the Asturian plant “unique” within the company and “one of the best on a global scale”.
