Tata Steel is to set up a new steel tubes manufacturing and processing facility at its Zwijndrecht plant in the Netherlands to serve the automotive sector.

The main elements of this expansion will be a heat treatment facility for the production of normalised precision tubes, and a cut-to-length line. The EUR3 million investment, due to be in operation by July next year, will create 19 jobs. Steel used at the facility (including innovative advanced and ultra high strength steels) will come from Tata Steel’s plants in IJmuiden and Port Talbot.

Remco Blaauw, Managing Director of Tata Steel’s tubes business in Europe, said: “One of the main targets of the facility will be the supply of specialised chassis parts: normalised, cut-to-length high-strength steel tubes for lightweight structural use in vehicles. The integrated supply chain this investment will create within Tata Steel will enhance our ability to serve automotive OEM customers.”

In 2004 Tata Steel’s European tubes business successfully entered the market for larger tubes for the automotive sector, making high-specification chassis tubes. The business has since established a reputation as an innovative quality supplier in the sector.

The Zwijndrecht investment will make Tata Steel a fully integrated tubes supplier for the automotive sector, controlling the complete chain from the production of steel to the production, normalising, cutting and packing of tubes.

About Tata Steel in Europe
The European operations of Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus) comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking operations in the UK and the Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, material handling and other demanding markets worldwide.

Tata Steel is one of the world’s top ten steel producers. The combined group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.

For further information
Roberts Moens on T: +31 251 491837, or E: Robert.moens@tatasteel.com