European commercial bars

The company was created in 1875 with Trith-Saint-Leger, close to Valencian. It carried at the time the name of its founder: “House César Pirot”. It developed quickly during the XXème century. Become Métalescaut, it returns in 1975 in the group Usinor. Three years later, a new rolling mill, of train type of 320, is brought into service. The automated finishing of the rolling mill is installed in 1984. The following year saw the construction of the electric steel-works on a surface of thirty hectares, along the highway Paris - Brussels (A2). It is then a question of the first steel-works in the world to work out its steel in an electric furnace with D.C. current, envisaged at the origin for castings of 63 tons. The group Unimetal, producer of the branch long steels of the group Usinor Sacilor, takes the control of the quasi totality of the capital of the company Métalescaut.

In 1988 the company is created “Commercial bar Europeans”, more known under the initials LME, by the iron and steel groups Usinor Sacilor - Unimetal, Cockerill-Sambre and Arbed. Other investments are carried out in 1991, with the installation of cercleuse, automatic machine which makes it possible to pose bonds of handling to the rolling mill, and charging uninterrupted of scrap in the electric furnace of the steel-works. LME is absorbed by the EMS (Metallurgical Company of the Scheldt) with effect at January 1st, 1993. The new entity takes again the name of “European Commercial bars”. October 28th, 1993, the Rolling mills of Ruau, with Charleroi (Belgium), and the company “Train with Commercial bars” (TLM), with the Esch-on-Alzette (Luxembourg), became subsidiary to 100% of LME. The company is privatisée on June 2nd, 1994, with a catch of majority stake of the Italian group Beltrame.

The groups Usinor and Cockerill left the shareholding of LME in 1997. The new distribution is established consequently to 66% by the Groupe Beltrame and to 34% by Arbed. In 1999, the range of products is widened thanks to the production of t-pieces and custom. From April, the continuous mode is set up at the steel-works, like seventeen stations with the rolling mill, following the passage to the 35 hours. The train in billets of 140 is also used the same year. In 2001, the walk uninterrupted of the rolling mill of Trith-Saint-Leger is installation, and a second rolling mill with small products (TPP) is built. In 2002, the TPP is brought into service. In 2007, important work is envisaged with the steel-works and T320, to increase the production and to produce new types of commercial bars. Indeed, in 2007, the steel-works were seen equipped with a new furnace, Tagliaferi mark, with alternative course this time and with a capacity of 120T, a new Almici bridge of 230T and with a revamping of continuous casting (modifications of the lines to adapt them to more important formats of billets, extension of the cooler…).

Internet site of the Group Beltrame: http://www.beltrame.it/

Work's council of LME: http://www.comite-lme.fr/

Buddies of before (LME): http://copainsdavant.linternaute.com/

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