Liberty Czestochowa is preparing to resume production

Polish plate manufacturer Liberty Czestochowa says it is preparing to resume production after a long "period of interruption." Plate mill workers returned to their jobs last week, and electric arc melt shop workers are expected to return next week once water supplies are restored.

“There is still a lot to be done to return working conditions to the level they were before production was stopped,” the Polish plant said in a note.

Long downtime and weather conditions affected the condition of the equipment. According to company representatives, inspections and tests are being carried out to prepare the units for operation and ensure the greatest possible safety of personnel. Plate mill testing was due to resume this week.

Czestochowa chief executive V. Krishnamurthy says management is in talks with utility providers to agree terms and the sales team is already "encouraging customers to confirm orders". Former Sanjeev Gupta adviser Raghav Aggarwal has been appointed to head the firm's "war cabinet" to support management and Liberty European upstream chief executive Theuns Victor in implementing the restructuring plan, it adds.

In a somewhat interesting note, the company warns about the importance of health and safety when returning to work. Arthur Stysh, chief occupational safety and environmental specialist, notes: “I appeal primarily to management and supervisory personnel: a few minutes devoted to remembering existing hazards, safe work methods and protective measures applied before starting activities will bring the expected improvement in safety during work."

The mill's unions met last week with Czestochowa City Council to highlight the steelworks' need for working capital. “The Częstochowa City Council calls on the Polish government to participate in finding solutions expected by the workers and management of the Liberty Steel Mill,” was the position taken by all 26 council members at the session.

“The City Council considers it necessary to take measures to protect the Polish steel industry from the negative consequences of EU climate and energy policies and to establish uniform rules to support the steel industry across Europe,” it adds. The document will be sent to the Prime Minister of Poland, as well as members of the European Parliament.

Liberty Czestochowa has a capacity of 700,000 tons per year of EAF and 1.2 million tons per year of plates. Its operational problems mirror those of other Liberty plants in Central and Eastern Europe.