The management of Ascométal announces this Thursday, April 25, 2024 that an offer to take over the steelmaker’s automotive cluster has been submitted by the Italian group Acciaierie Venete.
The management of Ascométal announces via an AFP dispatch on Thursday April 25, 2024 that an offer to take over the automobile cluster of the steelmaker Ascométal has been submitted. This is Acciaierie Venete. The Italian steelmaker had already initiated exclusive negotiations on January 21, 2024 before abruptly breaking off negotiations on March 27. This decision led, to the great dismay of employees, to the placement in receivership of the steelmaker specializing in special steels and owned by Swiss Steel.
This is good news well received by management.
A spokesperson for Ascométal
Acciaierie Venete proposes to retain the scope of the group: the three sites of Hagondange (Moselle), Custines (Meurthe-et-Moselle), Marais (Loire) as well as the research center (CREAS). With an annual production of two million tonnes, the steelmaker intends to consolidate its position in Europe.
What a CGT representative confirms: “We know how to make special steels that others don’t know how to make. This is what interests Venete. We are positioned on a range of high quality, highly technical products for major automobile manufacturers like Toyota and Audi.
After a day and night of suspense, Yann Amadoro, CGT representative on the social and economic committee at the Hagondange site (Moselle), says he is relieved, particularly regarding the preservation of jobs: “It’s positive because Venete’s offer includes the same social scope. Our fear was to see a downward revision of the workforce. It seems that this is not the case.”
This rupture surprised and dismayed the employees. The transalpine group had justified its withdrawal by unsatisfactory stock and cash flow issues. This sudden departure then this unexpected return seems to be part of a strategy of pressure in order to place itself in a position of strength within the framework of the resumption negotiations.
The Spanish Sidenor has submitted a takeover offer for the Dunkirk site and that of Custines. This offer for the Meurthe-et-Mosellane factory is in direct competition with that of Venete.
As for the Fos-sur-Mer site (Bouches-du-Rhône), it is the subject of an offer from the Italian Marcegaglia, candidate for a partial takeover.
The negotiation phase now begins on the conditions of the recovery. Among the crucial questions: the clearance of liabilities, and especially the number of jobs retained, a point to which employee representatives will be particularly attentive. The Strasbourg commercial court (Bas-Rhin) will deliver its decision on May 30, 2024.
Union representatives have planned a general meeting for Tuesday April 30 to inform all employees of the details of the offers.
