Hayange
Britishsteel Hayange
Saarstahl Rail has specialized in the manufacture of rails for the various railway sectors for more than 125 years. The rails are made from green steel blooms from the Saarstahl Ascoval electric steelworks.
Hayange annually produces around 300,000t of rail tracks, most of which are supplied to French railway company SNCF.
Investments for a sustainable future at Saarstahl Ascoval and Saarstahl Rail
The Saarstahl Ascoval and Saarstahl Rail production sites play a major strategic role within the SHS/Saarstahl Group, thanks to the production of carbon-free steel and high-end infrastructure serving mobility. The SHS/Saarstahl Group has already confirmed an investment of nearly 7 million euros in the two French production units for this year. Further investments are planned for this year. The SHS/Saarstahl Group, which employs approximately 1,500 people in France, also intends to position itself as an attractive employer.
*http://www.saarstahl-rail.fr/saarstahl-rail/fr/entreprise/infotheque/actualites/des-investissements-pour-un-avenir-durable-chez-saarstahl-ascoval-et-saarstahl-rail-102417.shtml
Image photography
By Viktor Macha in 2005.
Plant facts and figures
The plant have an annual capacity of 300000 tons.
The following processes are conducted in the plant:
- Rolling mill
This plant produces the following type of products:
- Billets
- Forgings
Full description
Hayange was one of the centers of French heavy industry since the 19th century. Black Lorraine survived the two world wars, but first troubles started in the 90´s and after the economic crisis in 2008.
The last blast furnaces were shutdown in 2012, however the only rail rolling mill in France is still doing well.
The original ironworks “Usine Saint Jacques” were founded by the family De Wendel in 1892, which managed the plant until 1994, when USINOR took over the production of rails. In 1999, the rolling mill was sold to British Steel and became part of the Corus Group soon after.
Between 2007 – 2016, the mill was operated shortly by Indian company Tata Steel and finally returned byck to British steel in 2017.