Media releases

Ostrava, 12 October 2016 - With the participation of representatives of the diplomatic corps, the supplier and the city of Ostrava, slabs from a new supplier of primary raw material for the production of heavy plates, the Brazilian company Empresa Siderúrgica de Pecém were symbolically baptized today in VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. (the "Company"). So a year since the shutdown of our mill operations, a large supply of slabs has started to come to Ostrava, to complement deliveries from other suppliers from EU countries, Russia and Ukraine.

Ostrava, 6 September 2016 - This year in July, VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. (the "Company") agreed on the bulk supply of steel slabs, the primary raw material for the production of so-called heavy steel plates, manufactured by the Brazilian company Compania Siderúrgica de Pecém. Under this contract, the first slabs from Brazil have already been dispatched to arrive in Ostrava in early October. The supply volume of slabs from South America will reach a substantial portion of the total annual volume of the charge consumption required for the production of heavy plates at the 3.5 Kvarto rolling mill (max. 800,000 tons / year).

Ostrava, 15 February 2016 – Joint-stock company VÍTKOVICE STEEL (hereinafter the “Company”) joined protests of the European steel industry against granting market economy status (MES) to China. Yesterday, on Sunday afternoon, the bus set out with 21 employees aboard from Ostrava to Brussels for a planned demonstration of European steel companies. On their trip to Brussels, they were joined by another approximately 80 employees of ArcelorMittal Ostrava and TŽ.

Ostrava, December 17, 2015 - For the second time this year, representatives of NGOs, primarily from the Moravian-Silesian Region, together with the management of the VÍTKOVICE STEEL Charity Fund (VSCF) gathered together to sign a deed of donation rising to the total amount of 2.5 million CZK. From a total of 150 applications submitted, and totalling more than 20 million CZK, the Board of Trustees of the charity fund selected a total of 30 projects that aim to support the Moravian-Silesian Region. Traditionally, submitters also include employees of VÍTKOVICE STEEL, who presented 13 projects under the programme called "PEOPLE FROM THE STEEL HELP." Together with the projects from the first round of VSCF allocation plan, which took place in the first half of this year, a total of 4.5 million CZK was allocated from VSCF this year toward 38 projects to support handicapped children, care for the elderly, education and sports, etc.

Ostrava, November 24, 2015 - With the participation of the company’s employees, management, and invited guests the operation of a modernized pusher furnace no. 2 was officially put into trial today in the VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. Quarto 3.5 rolling mill. The ecological benefit of the project lies primarily in the reduction of the amount of discharged nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere by approximately 21.7 tons per year. By reducing emissions, this project will contribute toward improving the environment in Ostrava. The total investment is 196 million CZK. Activities were implemented with a provision of subsidies from the Operational Programme Environment in the amount of 125 million CZK. The first slab, which left the new furnace today, is designed to produce a so-called heavy plate for a customer, the SIAG Company. Ultimately, the sheet will be used to manufacture parts of a wind power plant.

Ostrava, September 30, 2015. The shutdown of the VÍTKOVICE STEEL, a.s. steelworks (hereinafter as the Company) was implemented today. The reason for this action was inadequate setting of the operating conditions for the steelworks, which does not allow for maintaining long-term production of the Company in the future. The Company will replace input semi-finished products for the production of heavy plates, the so-called slabs, with deliveries from suppliers in the European Union and Russia.