50th anniversary… Kazakh style!

50th birthdays tend to be a special milestone. This “half a century” idea makes people scroll through the past and use their precious experience to roll out plans for the future. It somehow deserves a real celebration, something special…

I am not a party animal, but when I was offered the opportunity to join the 50th anniversary of our steel plant in Kazakhstan – ArcelorMittal Temirtau – I did not hesitate to fly out. On the plane I closed my eyes and started wondering what a birthday party at a steel plant would look like.

Many things happen in a life time. Many of the special guests, including the Kazakh president who attended the event, would certainly agree with this. President N. Nazarbayev, used to work himself for almost a decade in the blast furnace.

During a key note speech the President said ArcelorMittal Temirtau remains the leading steel company in Kazakhstan. Leadership and employees made great contributions to the improvement of the plant. “The company got through many difficulties during the last 50 years. The first decade of successful development gave way to the severe crisis after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In such tough economic conditions, the company had to find a foreign investor”, the President N. Nazarbayev said.

The President was joined by Mr Mittal and 8 veterans of the Karaganda plant. Later in the afternoon all employees gathered in a large sports complex for a concert followed by fireworks. I watched the thousands of people, thinking about all the work they have done during the last 15 years and their involvement in future activities. Yes, it is certainly true that – no matter how great birthday celebrations are – the best birthdays of all are those that haven’t arrived yet.

By Lynn Robbroeckx, Media Relations, ArcelorMittal