Liberty Steel Georgetown pauses wire rod production; nearly all workers will be laid off
A production change at the Liberty Steel mill in Georgetown will affect nearly all of the workers.
Beginning April 19, the Georgetown steel mill will temporarily pause the production of wire rod. Liberty says the pause is due to current market forces and a surge in imported steel, which led to a decrease in rod prices and caused the mill to incur higher production costs than selling the price of the rod.
Read more: Mill stays open: Board decision siding with Liberty Steel unchallenged by city council
The company says approximately 50 of the 79 employees at the Georgetown facility will be laid off.
The workers affected by this change will be provided opportunities at other Liberty locations or a severance package with help finding new roles if they choose to stay in South Carolina, according to the company.
"We remain committed to the long-term viability of our Georgetown facility and continue to invest in the business," Liberty CEO Pieter Vanderwesthuizen said in a statement. "Unfortunately, market forces are working against us in the rod market with the increase in imports and significant pressure on transportation costs. We fully intend to bring the rod mill back up as soon as it makes financial sense to do so."
The Georgetown mill will continue to manufacture steel mesh and welded steel products, according to Liberty.
