ArcelorMittal’s Pecem slab production plant, located in the Brazilian northeastern state of Ceará, produced 3.0 million mt in 2023, achieving its nameplate capacity for the first time since its start-up in 2016.
According to the plant’s CEO Erick Torres, as quoted by the local press, the result reflects operational excellence in the production chain of the plant, as “each stage in an integrated steel plant is important to achieve the planned results.”
Torres mentioned that high added value (HAV) steel products are the most important items of the plant’s production, counting today on 243 different grades, having reached 40.5 percent of the volume of slab produced in 2023.
In environmental terms, the plant achieved an 8 percent reduction of emissions from 2022, due to increased efficiency in the operation of the blast furnace, coupled with increased use of scrap in the steel conversion area.
The reduction of emissions in 2023 is particularly important for the group, as the plant was already operating at a level of emissions 50 percent lower than the level allowed by the current legislation in Brazil.