Thyssen demurs in rail bid after price probe -paper

Thu Aug 18, 2011

FRANKFURT Aug 18 (Reuters) - Germany's biggest steelmaker ThyssenKrupp held off bidding for a German railway contract after it was subject to a price-fixing probe, a German newspaper reported, citing industry sources.

German authorities said in late June they were investigating 10 steel and rail companies, including ThyssenKrupp subsidiary GfT Gleistechnik GmBH, for operating a cartel between 2001 and 2008.

Thyssen normally buys rails for Deutsche Bahn tenders from competitors such as Voestalpine and ArcelorMittal , but supplies from these companies were "no longer available", forcing Thyssen to stay out of the bidding, the sources told financial daily Handelsblatt.

Handelsblatt calculated from cartel documents in its possession that damage claims linked to the case could total up to 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), on top of any fines imposed by regulators.

Austrian metals group Voestalpine said in July it had blown the whistle on the scheme and said it expected to escape fines in the investigation. ($1=.7099 Euro)

Siemens to supply drive and automation systems for Handan Steel

Fri, Mar04, 2011

Linz, Austria-based plantmaker Siemens VAI has announced that it has received an order from Chinese steelmaker Hebei Iron & Steel Group to supply drive and automation systems for a new rolling mill for rails and heavy sections. The mill will be erected at Handan Iron & Steel Co., a subsidiary of Hebei Steel Group, and will produce rolled products for infrastructural applications. The project volume amounts to more than RMB 75 million ($11.41 million), according to the Siemens VAI announcement. The first section is scheduled to be rolled in July 2011.

As SteelOrbis previously reported, the rolling mill is designed for an annual production capacity of 1.38 million tons of heavy sections and rails.

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