Liberty House management has confirmed to Italian trade unions this week that it will restart the pickling line at Piombino's La Magona site when the acquisition from ArcelorMittal is completed next year.

The line at the site has been halted for six years and the unions expressed their support for the company's intention to restart it. Nevertheless more information on the full industrial plan is still being requested. The unions note that the mill will probably need to invest further in the zinc-coating lines as well as in a new pre-painting mill. This is to balance the lack of service from the ArcelorMittal Avellino service centres in Italy that will not be acquired by Liberty in the deal, Kallanish learns from union sources.

Meanwhile Liberty has confirmed that in the first phase, the Piombino plant will continue to be supplied by the ArcelorMittal plant in Fos Sur Mer in France. In a second phase Liberty intends to supply product from the Ostrava mill in Romania, also being acquired by the company from ArcelorMittal.