Dalzell’s iconic plate mill in Motherwell, Scotland, purchased by Liberty House Group from Tata Steel in March this year, took a step closer to re-opening this week after British Steel delivered 1.5kt of steel slab from its Scunthorpe plant in the UK.
The delivery, claims Liberty, re-establishes a supply chain that was broken when the Dalzell mill closed in December 2015.
The Dalzell plant has produced plate steel that is used by a wide variety of industries, including shipbuilding, heavy vehicle manufacture, construction and wind power generation, claims Liberty.
Currently there are 60 staff members preparing to re-open Dalzell, but 40 more will join the workforce prior to production re-starting. Most of the initial wave of recruits are former employees returning to their old jobs, says Liberty.
There will also be around 20 new supply contracts arising from the re-opening and these will be awarded to business and engineering services in the Motherwell area.
“This is a significant milestone for the plates business in Scotland,” said Jon Bolton, chief executive of Liberty Steel UK’s plate division. “It is pleasing to watch the plant gradually coming back to life,” he added.