[Ferro-Alloys.com] World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 147.8 million tonnes (Mt) in November 2019, a 1.0% decrease compared to November 2018.

In the week ending on December 21, 2019, domestic raw steel production was 1,866,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 80.7 percent. Production was 1,861,000 net tons in the week ending December 21, 2018 while the capability utilization then was 79.4 percent. The current week production represents a 0.3 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. Production for the week ending December 21, 2019 is up 1.2 percent from the previous week ending December 14, 2019 when production was 1,844,000 net tons and the rate of capability utilization was 79.7 percent.

United States Steel has announced additional actions to competitively position the company for the future. US Steel intends to indefinitely idle a significant portion of its Great Lakes Works operation near Detroit, Mich. The company expects to begin idling the iron and steelmaking facilities on or around April 1, 2020 and the Hot Strip Mill rolling facility before the end of 2020. The company will be issuing Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices to approximately 1,545 employees at Great Lakes Works, although we anticipate the final number of employees who will be impacted by the idling will be lower.

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