OREANDA-NEWS. May 03, 2013. Launched www.arcelormittalinfrance.com details ArcelorMittal’s significant steelmaking operations in France and reaffirms the company’s EUR2bn commitment to maintaining a strong industrial presence in the country.

The website, which is available in both French and English, covers a wide range of topics, from the history of steelmaking in France to a description of each major ArcelorMittal site in France. With more than 20,000 employees in France involved in more than 50 different industrial activities, ArcelorMittal is the largest player in the French steel industry, accounting for 70% of employment and production.

ArcelorMittal has invested more than EUR 2bn into its French steelmaking operations since 2006. This includes EUR 790m invested in Dunkerque and Fos, ArcelorMittal’s two largest plants in France, which have a combined production capacity of 11 million tonnes a year and are the focus of its liquid-phase production in the country. Other recent investments in France include EUR 80m on a new production line at St Chely d’Apcher for electric steel, EUR 28m at Industeel France to develop products for the energy market, EUR 8.5m on a new mining lab at our research & development (R&D) centre in Maizieres-les-Metz, EUR 7.2m on a galvanizing line in Florange for automotive steels and EUR 7m in Gandrange to produce high quality products for the automotive industry. All of these investments are helping to ensure that the French steel industry has a strong and sustainable future.

The website also outlines the important role R&D plays in France, allowing the company to work closely with its customers in France and beyond to build the lighter, stronger steels of the future. Our principal research and development sites are located in France, with around 800 of our 1,300-strong research team based in the country. The largest research campus is in Maizieres-les-Metz in the Lorraine region, employing more than 500 researchers who specialise, among other things, in steel for the automotive industry.

Nearly one third of ArcelorMittal’s European flat products are produced in France and ArcelorMittal is proud to be producing an important product which impacts so many aspects of people’s lives. ArcelorMittalinFrance.com highlights some of the unique ways in which steel produced by ArcelorMittal in France is contributing to the fabric of life, from being used to build a landmark new tower in La Defense, Paris, to providing the steel for for petanque boules, ski lifts and cars in France and around the world.

The website will also be the place to find the latest information on what is happening in Florange and how the commitment ArcelorMittal made with the French government is being fulfilled.

Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal said:

“This website has been developed to remind readers of the significant industrial presence that ArcelorMittal has in France. The deterioration of the economic situation in Europe necessitates that we adapt our business accordingly. But we continue to be a major employer, producing an important product which is used in a variety of ways throughout French life, every day. So long as France needs steel, we will be in France.”

For more information please visit www.arcelormittalinfrance.com