Deputy First Minister steels a glimpse of success

24 Jan 2008

Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, the Deputy First Minster and Minister for the Economy and Transport visited Port Talbot works last week to see for himself how in 2007 Corus has had its most successful and safe working year in recent times.

The Deputy First Minister visited the blast furnace control room where he heard that the two furnaces had produced 3.9 million tonnes of molten iron last year – beating the previous record by around 200,000 tonnes. He then visited the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) plant where the team had produced 4.4 million tonnes of steel.

The Minister said, “The steel industry is vital to the Welsh economy, and I am delighted that Corus is breaking production records, and meeting the challenges of a highly competitive industry.”

The Minister paused on his visit to open Corus’ new Visitor Centre. He commented, “The centre reflects the high profile and the high level of responsibility of Corus Strip Products UK.” The centre is set to manage up to 25,000 vehicle movements every day.