Welcome Back, Stelco
It’s the end of an era as Stelco name disappears
October 31, 2007 BY NAOMI POWELL Goodbye, Stelco. Hello, U.S. Steel Canada. On its first day as Stelco’s new owner, U.S. Steel replaced the corporate name that’s been inextricably linked with Hamilton for decades. By Wednesday afternoon, Stelco’s website and the glass front door of its Hamilton head office were already emblazoned with its new handle: U.S. Steel Canada. The switch came as Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel closed its $1.1-billion purchase of Stelco and swiftly installed a new Hamilton management team, led by industry veteran Douglas R. Matthews. “United States Steel Canada, United States Steel Serbia, United States Steel Slovakia (that’s) the way we name subsidiary companies within United States Steel,” Matthews said in an interview. “Of course we wanted to respect the history and heritage of Stelco, the Steel Company of Canada. We thought it would be nice to merge the two names.” For Terrie DeMelo, who watched a worker scrape the Stelco logo off the glass door of its headquarters yesterday, the change is bittersweet. “How can you talk about Hamilton and not mention Stelco?” said the Hamilton native and former employee of the steelmaker. “In the long run (the sale) is probably a good thing for the company. But the thing about it being a Canadian company just feels like it’s gone.” The Steel Company of Canada was formed on June 8, 1910, through the incorporation of five individual screw, steel, bolt and wire manufacturers. It officially changed its name to Stelco in 1980, partly to satisfy new French-language requirements. The name Stelco, it was found, worked well in both French and English. The Stelco moniker soon became synonymous with Canadian steelmaking. By the time industrial giant U.S. Steel came calling this year however, Stelco and its workforce had been dragged through years of financial problems and a difficult restructuring. Against that background, some workers found it hard to shed a tear for the retired name. “I don’t care,” said Tony Liota, an industrial mechanic in Stelco’s cold mill. “I’m probably better off with these guys as a worker than I was with Stelco because of the size of the organization. I’m now part of a worldwide company versus one little company that was trying to make a go of it.” Matthews said most remaining Stelco signage will be replaced with the U.S. Steel Canada logo. |
what a stupid name.
US Steel Canada?? Thanks for your takeover fellas, but this chap will always call it Stelco - Steel Company of Canada. |
Eh, I don't care what it's called if they can make the place start earning money again.
What this guy said here: “I’m probably better off with these guys as a worker than I was with Stelco because of the size of the organization. I’m now part of a worldwide company versus one little company that was trying to make a go of it.” Is very true. |
People will be calling it stelco for a long time to come.
Hopefully US Steel can make it profitable, like dofasco. |
they've been making gobs of money.
|
I'm sure it was a different scene when the folks pulling the strings at Stelco and Dofasco also lived and shopped in Hamilton, and thus had a stake in the community.
|
U.S. Steel Canada plans Hamilton blast furnace shutdown
October 14, 2008 By Naomi Powell, The Hamilton Spectator U.S. Steel Canada is planning to shut down its Hamilton blast furnace for up to eight weeks as the global market meltdown takes its toll on the steel sector. A shutdown at the former Stelco would likely begin at the end of the month, says a source familiar with the plans. The move comes as steelmakers across the globe face plunging demand from customers badly battered by the credit crisis. Many large customers have been unable to borrow the money they need to buy steel. Others are struggling to contend with a slowing economy that has shrunk demand for everything from construction to appliances and cars. Last month, ArcelorMittal Dofasco announced plans to scale back production in the second half of the year with CEO Juergen Schachler citing "tough economic times and unexpected weakness in the North American manufacturing sector." Parent company ArcelorMittal has said it will slash production by 15 per cent across its global operations. And last week, Russian steel firm OAO Severstal announced plans to slash its October production by 25 per cent at its Russian plant and 30 per cent at its operations in the United States and Italy. Trevor Harris, spokesperson for U.S. Steel Canada, declined to comment on potential production cuts. He said operational changes would be discussed in the company’s quarterly earnings call, scheduled for Oct. 26. “As we’ve said in the past, we will adjust production up and down to keep pace with customer orders,” Harris said. It is unclear whether the cuts would result in layoffs. The former Stelco employs about 1,700 hourly workers at its Hamilton plant. ArcelorMittal Dofasco has said it will cut back on overtime and reduce its casual employee base as it slows production. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
It's no secret that USS really wanted the Lake Erie works, it's the crown jewel of the industry. More to come... |
oil will go back up.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
And yes there has been rumours for years now moving everthing to the lake Erie works. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
U.S. Steel idles Hamilton furnace
The Hamilton Spectator (Oct 24, 2008) U.S. Steel Canada has begun shutting down its Hamilton blast furnace due to the global financial crisis. The company intends to halt primary steelmaking for six to eight weeks while continuing to make coke at full speed, sources say. Layoffs at the steelmaker are possible but a "last resort." The company is in talks with union leaders to reschedule maintenance projects to keep employees on the job. The tentative timeline for the shutdown could change depending on the economy. |
A friend of mine who's a steamfitter heard they were going to stop making coke too--nearly total shutdown. Hopefully that's not true.
|
This adds to the mix:
Quote:
|
Those fines will be a slap on the wrist, like the $85,000 Dofasco got for safety violations.
|
Significant layoff announcements at USS Hamilton Works are imminent.
|
Quote:
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 7:53 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.