Steel production up two-thirds at South Yorkshire plants since Liberty takeover

PRODUCTION at South Yorkshire’s speciality steel plants has soared by almost two-thirds since being taken over by Liberty House a year ago.

Jon Bolton (pictured), chief executive of Liberty Steels UK, said the Rotherham and Stocksbridge plants were on target to continue their strong comeback. 

He reported that, since taking possession of the business, now called Liberty Speciality Steels, the group had created 300 new jobs and boosted production of high-grade steels from 179,000 tonnes-a-year in 2016/17 to 292,000 tonnes this year.

They aim to reach an output of more than a million tonnes a year by 2020.

Steels from the 2,000-worker Yorkshire plants and their support centres in Lancashire and the Midlands are sold throughout the world for highly-specialised applications such as aerospace, automotive and industrial equipment.

Mr Bolton said there were still challenges ahead, not least for the industry as a whole to become greener, more innovative and more integrated with the manufacturing supply chain, as well as attracting and train a new generation.

Liberty uses the Greensteel approach pioneered by the GFG Alliance, which involves making steel with limited carbon production and uses renewable energy to recycle scrap metal.

He added: “ As chief executive of Liberty Steel UK, I am proud to say we now employ over 3,000 people in UK steel production.

“Our Rotherham operation has 1.3 million tonnes of liquid steelmaking capacity and our aim is to build nationwide Greensteel production capacity of five million tonnes over the next few years.

“It’s exactly a year since Liberty acquired Speciality Steels and what a year it has been, re-opening various assets including a furnace, a small bloom caster and a coil line so that we can ramp up production and increase sales into bar markets.

“This could not have been achieved without the dedication of our people and their passion for securing the future of the industry in the region as well as our collaboration with stakeholders such as government and trade unions. 

“For me, the future relies on attracting new people into the industry and investing in their skills. 

“Last year, we took on 26 graduates and apprentices, this year we are recruiting 30 more, and we continue to reach out to students through our industrial cadet programme.”

Mr Bolton said: “We took over these South Yorkshire plants at the most difficult of times for the industry, but I believe we are doing the right things and that this industry now has a bright and sustainable future in the UK.”

Related topics: