AK Steel to idle Dearborn Works

Steelmaker AK Steel will shut down its Dearborn Works in Detroit as steel mills that supply the automotive market are hammered by sudden coronavirus outbreak-related shutdowns.

The 2.2mn short ton (st)/yr blast furnace will stop running beginning next week for an undetermined length of time, according to a letter from the mill's local union president posted online.

The mill makes flat rolled products for the US automotive industry and was recently acquired by Cleveland-Cliffs in its purchase of integrated steelmaker AK Steel.

All automakers in the US have announced some level of closures in the last week.

The earliest possible restart for automakers are by Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and General Motors (GM), who could reopen plants as early as next week. Ford recently announced a plan to restart a plant in Mexico on a limited shift on 6 April while restarting some of its US plants on 14 April.

There was no mention plans for the company's 2.3mn st/yr Middletown Works.

The idling is the latest in the US. Integrated steelmaker US Steel announced today that it was idling a blast furnace each at its Gary Works in Indiana and Granite City Works near St Louis, Missouri.

ArcelorMittal said at the beginning of the week that it would idle two blast furnaces, one each in Canada and the US.

Gerdau idled the melting and rolling operations at its three special steel mills in the US, only to announce today that it will reopen one in Arkansas over the weekend.

By Rye Druzin