By the end of 2010, Spain should be the country with the largest high-speed network in service – more than 2,500 kilometres, ahead of leading nations in this means of transport such as France or Japan. ArcelorMittal Asturias, in Spain, is contributing to this project by providing so far the vast majority of the rails used to build this critical infrastructure.

Our Asturian rail mill started producing rails to be used in the AVE (both the Spanish word for ‘bird’ and acronym of Alta Velocidad Española – Spanish High Speed) in 1990, and it expects to opt to all public competitions in order to keep on supplying the high-speed rails until 2020.

By then, and unless the Spanish austerity plan just announced by the government has an impact on the high speed investments, Spain will have a total of 10,000 km of high-speed lines and all capitals of the province will be connected to the network. This means that 90% of Spanish people will live less than 50 km away from an AVE station!

ArcelorMittal Asturias is not only producing rails for the Spanish high-speed network, though: Germany and Turkey also have a strong presence of our rails in their high-speed networks, and the mill has produced all kinds of rails for over 30 countries.

Why? Partly because of its technology, which allows rolling rails up to 90 metres long. This is an advantage for high-speed trains because longer rails mean less welding and less movement. “The longer the rail is, the more difficult it is to produce. The state-of-the-art devices of our finishing line allow us to be among the only high-speed producers in the world,” explains Pablo Bermejo, Rail mill manager of ArcelorMittal Asturias.

Thanks to our Asturian rails, you can travel today from Madrid to Barcelona in 2 hours 40 minutes, and soon it will be possible to go from London to the Costa del Sol by high-speed train…

Want to know more about our Asturian rails? Check out this video!

Collaboration: Gerardo Alonso and Alberto Carrero, ArcelorMittal Spain, Communications

August 27, 2009 was a good day for ArcelorMittal Steelton, in the US. The site hosted an event spotlighting The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in action: US Representative Tim Holden, together with management from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) announced a train rail order from SEPTA for a modernisation project, which resulted from federal stimulus funding…

“We are proud to be the rail supplier for this stimulus-funded project and remain committed to providing our customers with high-quality products,” said Dave Wirick, General Manager, ArcelorMittal Steelton (speaking in the picture – standing behind him, US Rep. Tim Holden). “With a rich history dating back to 1867, Steelton provided the rail used to build some of the first railroads in the US, and now we will help update and enhance our country’s rail system.”

Over the years, ArcelorMittal Steelton has supported industrial growth in the US and helped build the infrastructure that is now being updated and repaired through the application of stimulus funds. US rail infrastructure – whether for mass transit, commuter and long distance passenger service, or improved freight capability – is in need of revitalisation.

Our Steelton facility is one of only 3 rail producers in the US and is prepared to utilise its skilled workforce and rail production technology to supply future stimulus projects.

Author: Katie Patterson, Communications, ArcelorMittal USA

“Do you know the width of a soccer field?” I was taken aback by this manager’s question. First day of my new job, intro chats with many people. They talked about steel, steel and steel. It sounded abstract to me.

“So, do you know the width of a soccer field?!” By the time I could figure out a reply he was on the phone again. To keep me busy he passed me some ‘toys’. Tiny pieces of steel in Z- and U-shape, with a little hook at the end.

He hang up.

“These are sheet piles. 40 meters of soil or water; that’s what these enormous things can hold!” pointing at my toys.

Not sure about the spelling of this product, I did not take any notes.

“Look how these interlocks perfectly slide into each other. Like a rescue team they hold hands, making a water tight wall!” he continued. “Can you imagine my life? Looking for ships and trucks to transport those all over the world? Can you imagine the size of hammers you need to drive them deep into the ground?” he said excitedly.

“They are used for the BIG projects. Projects for the history books. Dry docks, dams, and river diversions. They protect us from hurricanes, flooding and landslides.”

“OK, that’s it I guess” he said. “If you have any questions, come and see me again. I am the sheet pile guy, remember”.

I walked out of his office and smiled. Yes, I will remember this.”

Author: Lynn Robbroeckx, Media Relations

“It is thrilling to be part of such a unique project like M.O.S.E. *! For many decades, Venice and its lagoon have been suffering from higher water levels. From the beginning, engineers have been trying to solve the flooding problem in this breathtaking city. If all continues smoothly, by 2014, the rows of 78 mobile gates will be operational and this nightmare will be something we can all wake up from.

M.O.S.E. will allow shutting the 3 inlets of the Venetian lagoon to the Adriatic Sea whenever the flood levels rise above 110 cm. In normal conditions, the gates will be full of water and lie flat on the seabed.

Whenever the water reaches the critical level, the gates will be filled with air and rise from the seabed to form a mobile barrier, unique in its kind. A brilliant solution found using simplest principles of physics and founded on ArcelorMittal steel!

Our job, as a steel producer, is not only to supply high-quality technical steel solutions. We have been working very closely, from the beginning of the project, with the consulting engineers and the people of Consorzio Venezia Nuova (project owner). We have brought our best expertise and know-how to help make it a success.

Our steel solutions have turned out to be the most economic in terms of execution time, and most effective for achieving the established aims. More than 135,000 tons of our different steel sheet piling products made in Luxembourg have been used for this project!

Now, as M.O.S.E reaches its final stages, I am beginning to wonder what our grandkids will think of this enormous project. One thing is for sure – they will have the opportunity to appreciate the great view of St. Mark’s square without having to walk through water…”

* Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico– Electromechanical Experimental Module in English

Author: Dan Kohnen, Executive Sales Manager, Commercial RPS – Sheet Piling
Collaboration: Pascal Lamiroy, Long Carbon Europe, Communications

April 28, 2010. Very early in the morning. Our plants and offices worldwide are finalising preparations for Health and Safety Day, one of the most important dates in the Group’s calendar. So is ArcelorMittal Differdange, in Luxembourg, especially as they are expecting a special visitor…

9.15am. Top management of the site, union representatives and journalists wait for Chairman and CEO Mr Mittal at the site’s administrative building. Phone call: “we will be there in 2 minutes.” The plant CEO welcomes Mr Mittal and, after a short presentation about the site, the visit starts.

9.40am. At the Centre de Formation, dozens of Differdange colleagues are participating in workshops on fire-fighting, shared vigilance, the golden rules of traffic in a steel plant (if you ever drive through Differdange, remember to respect the stops you find every 10 metres!), healthy food and hygiene… In the middle of the session, Mr Mittal enters the room. After a few moments of smiles and greetings, the workshop continues normally. As all sessions are in French, Mr Mittal welcomes the translations of the plant CEO.

10.45am. Time to visit the facilities where the steel which was used to build the Atomium in Brussels and the future Freedom Tower in New York was produced. Continuous caster, rolling mill… Mr Mittal seizes the opportunity to ask plenty of questions and share his views with the people in charge of each facility. “One can see that he is very interested in the technical aspects,” says a line manager.

12.15am. The Chairman and CEO leaves the plant under a bright sun. Just before, there’s still time for a short video interview for ArcelorMittal employees. The key message? Health and Safety Day should be every day of our lives…

The game consists of a virtual journey across different places of the district. ArcelorMittal Warszawa is one of the locations where the final part of the plot takes place. In fact, it has been chosen as the most interesting location by players.

But not everything is virtual in the game: Among all registered players of ‘Mission Bielany’ local authorities picked up 50 finalists. The final ceremony was organised on Saturday March 20 in the real world: the new rolling mill of ArcelorMittal Warszawa.

Those 50 ‘secret agents’ assisted to a final fight (performed by professional stuntmen) between Bielany secret agent and the bad guys.

After the happy end of this battle, 3 main winners were picked up randomly by ArcelorMittal Warszawa CEO and the mayor of Bielany. The winners were awarded with cameras sponsored by ArcelorMittal Warszawa. All finalists received ‘Mission Bielany’ t-shirts and visited the rolling mill. The event was broadcasted by local Warsaw TV and covered by local newspapers.

Do you feel like testing your secret agent skills? Go to http://www.misjabielany.pl/ (English version of the game available)

Collaboration: Ewa Karpinska, PR manager, ArcelorMittal Warszawa

This furnace is a very important communication centre at the plant, as it’s in permanent relation with the steelmaking plant, the ladle furnace, the continuous casting and the Grey rolling mill. My main mission here is to heat the beam blanks that will serve to produce customer’s orders.

We have gone through a period of uncertainty. During the crisis we produced less that in previous years, but thanks to the social measures, we could avoid unemployment due to the crisis.

In my case, I was forced to take all the days-off that I had accumulated in the last years. The Group, however, has been affected in a different way depending on the segment and location.

The beginning of 2010 looks a bit more positive, we’ve seen a pickup in orders from customers and I hope the trend will continue. The beginning of the year has been quite promising, but in fact, I am not fully convinced that we are living a real economic recovery. The media announce a recovery in the steel industry but only time will tell…”

“I’m working at the ArcelorMittal Belval and Differdange site in Luxembourg. When I was a child, my father and grandfather, who both worked in the steel industry, used to tell me about what they experienced in the factories, the products they were manufacturing and for which specific constructions they were being used… I was fascinated by all these stories and slowly felt a real passion for steel grow inside of me.

My grandfather started his career in Rodange, and then moved to the Belval site where he worked until he retired. That is exactly the same plant I am working at today. But he is not the only member of my family working in steel: my parents worked for the Group until they recently decided to take preretirement, and my aunt and cousin are still employees of ArcelorMittal.

At home, steel is still a hot topic in our family. Just with the small difference that today it’s me telling my parents about my day at work. But I need to say that I still gratefully take their advice and experiences gathered over their 40 years in the steel industry.

The current crisis isn’t affecting me that much: the products from our Belval site are unique and the social dialogue between management and trade unions is good. Moreover, the Luxembourg government is watching closely the evolution of our industry. I am sure that – in an international Group like ArcelorMittal – the sustainability and modernity of the Luxembourgish steel industry will be guaranteed.”

Collaboration: Julie Buchler, Corporate Communications