US steel maker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc announced that it will indefinitely idle its Indiana Harbor blast furnace 2. This action is a result of the successful implementation of operational improvements, particularly the addition of significant amounts of HBI to the burden of blast furnaces and the maximization of scrap usage in BOFs. The employees allocated to BF 4 will be reassigned to other positions within Indiana Harbor Works, as the number of available job openings at the Indiana Harbor complex exceeds the amount of jobs associated with BF 4. The Company will continue normal operations of the entire Indiana Harbor Works, including its two steel shops, the hot strip mill and all its finishing facilities, as well as the nearby Riverdale Works. With both Indiana Harbor blast furnaces 3 & 4 now indefinitely idled, going forward, all downstream operations including Riverdale Works will be supplied exclusively by the Company’s flagship high-productivity blast furnace 7.The BF 4, which has a production capacity of 2.1 million net tons of hot metal per year, is expected to cease production within the next two months. This action will reduce the number of operational blast furnaces in Cliffs’ footprint from 8 to 7. The Company does not expect any change to full-year 2022 steel shipment volumes as a result of the indefinite idle of BF 4.Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. Founded in 1847 as a mine operator, Cliffs also is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in North America. The Company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron, and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing.
US steel maker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc announced that it will indefinitely idle its Indiana Harbor blast furnace 2. This action is a result of the successful implementation of operational improvements, particularly the addition of significant amounts of HBI to the burden of blast furnaces and the maximization of scrap usage in BOFs. The employees allocated to BF 4 will be reassigned to other positions within Indiana Harbor Works, as the number of available job openings at the Indiana Harbor complex exceeds the amount of jobs associated with BF 4. The Company will continue normal operations of the entire Indiana Harbor Works, including its two steel shops, the hot strip mill and all its finishing facilities, as well as the nearby Riverdale Works. With both Indiana Harbor blast furnaces 3 & 4 now indefinitely idled, going forward, all downstream operations including Riverdale Works will be supplied exclusively by the Company’s flagship high-productivity blast furnace 7.The BF 4, which has a production capacity of 2.1 million net tons of hot metal per year, is expected to cease production within the next two months. This action will reduce the number of operational blast furnaces in Cliffs’ footprint from 8 to 7. The Company does not expect any change to full-year 2022 steel shipment volumes as a result of the indefinite idle of BF 4.Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. Founded in 1847 as a mine operator, Cliffs also is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in North America. The Company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron, and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing.
