Apr 27 2006
Arcelor SSC and Mitsui & Co UK signed today an agreement for the joint creation of a Steel Service Center in South Africa, dedicated mainly to the automotive industry.
The new company called AMSA Steel Service Centre Pty Ltd, will be owned 65% by Arcelor and 35% by Mitsui.
The steel service center will be located in the Durban area and is to start operations in the second quarter of 2007. It is to process 120,000 tons of slit products, rectangular and shaped blanks per year. AMSA will provide storage and services such as just in time delivery to its automotive customers.
At the signing ceremony in Luxembourg on April 25th, Arcelor Senior Executive Vice President Gonzalo Urquijo said: "As the number one steel partner of the global automotive industry we accompany our customers in their global development, providing them with the highest level of performance everywhere around the world. Through this cooperation with Mitsui, our customers will benefit of the combined experiences and best practices of Arcelor and Mitsui in the processing and distribution of steel".
Ken Abe, Senior Executive Vice President of Mitsui and Managing Director of Mitsui & Co. Europe Plc said "We already have a strong presence in South Africa, where the automotive sector is set for rapid growth, and we are very happy to establish this partnership for our automotive customers with Arcelor in this country."