Italian AST suspends production due to low demand

Stainless steel producer Acciai Speciali Terni has decided to suspend production and all rolling lines at its plant in central Italy for a week from 25 May due to low demand, while all major stainless steel market regions except the Middle East, where growth prospects were said to be expected at the BIR conference in Amsterdam, have seen decreasing demand and prices.

With two Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) and an annual capacity of 1.4 million, AST produced 1 million tonnes of crude steel last year.