Company History
1955 |
The company now known as AltaSteel was founded in 1955 as Premier Steel
Mills Ltd. Before 1955, all steel made in North America was made via
blast furnace process from iron ore. However, by 1955, electricity
generating facilities and distributing grids became massive enough to
make electric furnace steelmaking practical and economical; Premier
Steel Mills Ltd. became the first steel mill in North America to use an
electric arc furnace to melt scrap steel in a production environment,
continually cast it, and roll the steel into final shapes. |
1962 |
In 1962, Premier Steel Mills Ltd. was purchased by The Steel Company of Canada, or Stelco, and became known as Stelco - Edmonton Works. |
1974 |
In 1974 various major upgrading operations took place, including construction of the present steelmaking facility and significant modifications to the Bar Mill. |
1992 |
In 1992, Stelco - Edmonton Works was spun off as a stand-alone company known as AltaSteel Ltd. |
1998 |
In 1998, a series of capital investments began at the facility - a state-of-the-art steelmaking ladle furnace was brought into operation in 1998, as was a new automatic bundling system in the Bar Mill that same year. |
2001 |
In 2001, the Bar Mill's aging finishing stands were replaced with new automated Morgardschammer stands. |
2002 |
In 2002 a new Heat Treatment
facility was built, utilizing AltaSteel's patented heat treating process
for grinding media. |
2006 |
In 2006, the Bar Mill was further upgraded with installation of new roughing stands. Also in 2006, Stelco completed the sale of AltaSteel to the Scaw Metals Group of South Africa a member of the Ferrous Metals and Industries Division of Anglo American plc. |
2011 |
In 2011, Anglo American plc completed the sale of AltaSteel to OneSteel Limited. |
2012 |
On July 2, 2012, OneSteel Limited changed their name to Arrium |
This process became known as the "mini-mill" process, and represented
perhaps the most significant step forward in steelmaking technology in
the past 50 years. The mini-mill process now accounts for over 60% of
the steel produced in North America. This pioneering effort was
recognized in 2004 by the American Society of Materials (ASM), which
honoured the AltaSteel facility by designating it as an historical
landmark.
