Plant is fighting back once more
Liberty Steel gives good news to minister
Liberty Steel Dalzell in Motherwell are making a strong comeback after a year’s shutdown – and last week welcomed a Scottish Government minister on a tour.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Derek Mackay, right, was told Scottish- made products can win back the importdominated UK market for the heavy-duty steel used in bridges, buildings and battleships.
He was told how the mill was in the process of winning back a home-made share of the British market for plate steel that has been overwhelmed in recent years by imports from continental Europe and South Korea.
Dalzell is now the only remaining fully Uk-owned large producer of plate steel, an ultra-tough product used for demanding applications such as large physical structures, ship bodies, undersea oil pipes, bulldozers and wind towers.
Gordon Macrae, managing director of Liberty Steel Dalzell took the Cabinet Secretary on a tour of the plant to meet workers and explain the investment and progress that is being made there.
Mr Macrae said: “With the skill and determination of the workforce at Dalzell, we’ve begun to make real inroads into this market.
“We’re already reclaiming lost market share and we have big ambitions for future growth, not only at home but in key export markets also.”
He disclosed that the plant has just secured two substantial new contracts and is on target to produce more than 120,000 tonnes of plate this year. This figure is set to rise by at least another 25 per cent next year, as the plant’s expansion plan moves into its next phase.
Mr Macrae added: “Making a comeback after closure was always going to be a big challenge but we are now seeing real progress. We’re expanding our product range and customer base and we firmly believe that Scotland is now leading the fightback for a share of the UK market for this toughest of steels.”
Liberty, part of Sanjeev Gupta’s worldwide GFG Alliance, reopened the plant that had been closed-down by previous owners and, following a tough first year, the company believes the operation is now back on its feet and challenging the foreign plate producers who have gobbled up nearly 70 per cent of the UK market.
As part of the group’s valueadded business model, Mr Macrae said, a significant amount of steel from Dalzell will be used by other Liberty plants in Scotland and England to make products such as wind towers and oil pipelines.
Liberty Steel Dalzell also aims to export to markets such as Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Mr Mackay said: “The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring our steel sector has a sustainable future, building on the long and proud heritage of steelwork in Scotland. We are committed to doing as much as we can to increase the industry’s ability to compete in global markets, which will help bring new opportunities to Scotland’s economy.”