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Thyssenkrupp to reduce Duisburg steel production capability and cut jobs

Thyssenkrupp on Thursday expanded details of a restructuring programme for its challenged steel department, saying production capability at its Duisburg site will be considerably lowered, with steps involving job cuts that can not yet be measured.

The steel division's executive board said production capabilities would be minimized to around 9 million to 9.5 million loads each year, which approximately corresponds to the shipping level of the previous 3 years. Today production capacity at the website is created for around 11.5 million lots.

The announcement marks the most concrete step so far in the steel service revamp, which has become necessary because of weakening demand and harsh competitors from cheaper Asian rivals.

The enhancing measures would impact downstream processing along with administration and service areas, the business said, including that its objective is to continue to prevent redundancies for operational factors.

Thyssenkrupp's steel organization, whose roots extend back more than 200 years, carries significant importance as a symbol of Germany's increase as an industrial power - a status that has rather waned recently.

The unit has actually up until now been spared significant restructuring relocations, secured by effective unions that have actually generally commanded great impact at the German conglomerate.

IG Metall, Germany's biggest union representing Thyssenkrupp employees, and the works council stated the commercial group needs to guarantee tasks before reorganisation settlements begin.

Worries of a larger turn-around at the business were fuelled in February, when Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe's chairman Sigmar Gabriel, a former German economy minister, warned the business had to change fundamentally.

At the time, Gabriel said that while Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe could produce nearly 12 million metric tons of steel a. year, it just offered around 9 million lots and maybe even less in. the future. He also clearly did not dismiss task cuts.

Prospective capability cuts are likewise a sticking point in talks. with EPH, the energy holding firm of Czech billionaire Daniel. Kretinsky that Thyssenkrupp is attempting to win as a co-owner of. the steel department.

GOVERNMENT REACTION

Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe utilizes around 27,000 individuals, many. of them at Europe's largest steel site in Duisburg, a city in. the most populated German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

The German government in 2015 earmarked 2 billion euros. ($ 2.13 billion) in subsidies for the commercial group to develop a. green steel plant in Duisburg.

A spokesperson for Germany's economy ministry said. Thyssenkrupp's decision to lower capability with potential task. cuts at the Duisburg plant is regrettable and mentioned that. aids were focused on keeping jobs in place.

We are not investing billions for nothing, the. representative said at a federal government press conference, adding that. steel production should be kept in Germany.

The ministry also reiterated its plea to the group to. continue its course toward green steel production.

Thyssenkrupp confirmed its green improvement plans as. well as the steel department's goal of climate-neutral production. by 2045 at the latest.

(source: Reuters)