Press Release Saarstahl, SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar
Liberty Ascoval (Nord) and Liberty Rail Hayange (Moselle): Saarstahl has reached an agreement in principle with Liberty Steel France
02 July 2021
Saarstahl and its parent company SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar (SHS) confirm that they have obtained an agreement in principle from Liberty Steel France Holding on Thursday 1 July 2021.
This is another important step that paved the way for SHS to take over the two steel plants, Liberty Ascoval (in Saint-Saulve, Nord, hereafter "Ascoval") and Liberty Rail Hayange (in Hayange, Moselle, hereafter "Hayange").
Saarstahl and the SHS group are fully mobilised alongside all parties and the Ascoval and Hayange teams so as to achieve a final agreement by the end of summer 2021.
With the broad support of the parties concerned and the official representatives SHS and Saarstahl have proposed an industrial concept for the Ascoval and Hayange plants that ensures the economic and social security and further developement of the two French sites.
Ute Engel
Saarstahl is a Saarland-based steel company belonging to the SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar Group, to which its sister company Dillinger (S.A. des Forges et Aciéries de Dilling) also belongs.
The history of Saarstahl begins at the end of the 16th century in Neunkirchen. Together, SHS and Saarstahl are the majority shareholders of the Dillinger company, which was founded in 1685 on a concession from King Louis XIV. The SHS Group (Saarstahl's parent company) is wholly owned by the private industrial trust "Montan-Stiftung-Saar", a private industrial trust whose aim is to strengthen and safeguard the two major steel companies on the Saar.
The Saarstahl Group, based in Völklingen, specializes in the production of high-quality wire rod, bars, semi-finished products and forged products. Saarstahl relies on innovative products and intelligent technologies to meet global challenges such as mobility, energy efficiency and safety. Saarstahl products are highly valued in the automotive and construction (BTP) sectors, energy installations, aeronautics and aerospace, mechanical engineering and other steel processing industries.
The Saarland steel group (SHS with Saarstahl and Dillinger) employs a total of 13,000 people, of whom about 900 work in France. Together, the companies are investing continuously in training and qualification, as well as in the modernization of tools and processes. Finally, they are deploying a digitalization and Industry 4.0 strategy. On average, Saarstahl and Dillinger have invested around 150 million euros per year over the past decade.