Cleveland-Cliffs to Idle Tinplate Plant, Putting 900 Employees on Notice

By Will Feuer

Cleveland-Cliffs said it plans to idle its tinplate plant in Weirton, W.Va., in April, citing the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision to reject antidumping duties that were supported by the Department of Commerce.

Cliffs said it is issuing notices to the roughly 900 employees who will be affected by the closure. The company said it will offer relocation to other parts of the company to affected employees, or severance.

Last month, the Department of Commerce said imports of tin mill products from Canada, China, Germany and Korea were being unfairly priced, or dumped, in the U.S.

However, earlier this month, the International Trade Commission said the alleged dumping activities did not harm the U.S. industry and decided not to implement the antidumping duties recommended by the Commerce Department.

"In what was our final effort to maintain tinplate production here in America, we proved that we are forced to operate on an uneven playing field, and that the deck was stacked in favor of the importers," Cliffs Chief Executive Lourenco Goncalves said.

"The ITC's decision is a travesty for America, middle-class jobs, and our critical food supply chains," he said.

The company affirmed its 2024 sales volume guidance.

Write to Will Feuer at Will.Feuer@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 15, 2024 06:50 ET (11:50 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.