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ArcelorMittal South Africa
Sustainability Report for 2008
The business of
ArcelorMittal South Africa
Flat steel products
Vanderbijlpark Works is the largest inland
steel mill in sub-Saharan Africa, with two blast
furnaces, three electric arc furnaces and three
basic oxygen furnaces. It has a capacity of
4.4 million tonnes of liquid steel per annum, which
is converted into a range of steel sheeting and
plates. This output constitutes around 82% of the
company’s flat steel production. Vanderbijlpark
Works employs 4 723 people.
Long steel products
Newcastle Works is rated among the world’s
lowest billet cash-cost producers, after an
intensive re-engineering programme. With one
blast furnace, three basic oxygen furnaces and
four rolling mills, this operation has a capacity
of 1.8 million tonnes of liquid steel annually.
Products include low, medium and high carbon
steels, alloy steels, bar, structural sections and
rails. 1 956 people work at Newcastle.
Saldanha Works has a capacity of 1.2 million
tonnes of liquid steel per annum, most of which is
destined for the export market. It also produces
high quality ultra thin hot rolled coil. It is the
only steel mill in the world to have successfully
combined the Corex and Midrex process into a
continuous chain. This replaces the need for coke
ovens and blast furnaces, and contributes to
making Saldanha Works a world leader in emission
control and environmental management. It
employs 557 people.
Vereeniging Works, which employs around
954 people, is the country’s major supplier of
speciality steel products, seamless tube and
forge products. At full capacity it delivers around
0.4 million tonnes of final product per annum, of
which around 18% was exported last year.
Maputo Works is a rod mill with a capacity of
35 000 tonnes a year. Refurbished and opened in
May 2008, output at the plant was temporarily
stopped in November 2008 as a result of the
economic crisis.
Coke and Chemicals
The Coke and Chemicals operation comprises
three coke batteries in Newcastle, Vanderbijlpark
and Pretoria. They produce commercial coke for
the ferro-alloy industry, supplying more than
half of South Africa’s requirements. In addition,
Coke and Chemicals produces metallurgical
by-products, including coal tar pitch.
