UK integrated long products’ steelmaker British Steel has completed the purchase of Dutch wire rod producer FNsteel, thereby expanding its wire rod range to new specifications.

The deal was initially signed in September (see Kallanish 27 September).

“This acquisition not only expands our international footprint, it complements our current operations – enabling us to increase our product portfolio and offer a higher technical specification of rod to our customers,” British Steel chief executive Peter Bernscher says. “We’re looking forward to working in partnership with the FNsteel team to deliver the high quality wire rod our customers, current and new, rightly expect.”

FNsteel employs nearly 300 people in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam, and will continue to trade under its current name. The company manufactures wire rod ranging between 5.5-30mm in diameter and supplies to the European automotive, construction and engineering industries.

Besides it UK operations, British Steel has a rail mill in Hayange, France, and rail logistics hub in Italy. It also employs around 300 people at its Scunthorpe rod mill where it produces wire rod ranging in diameter between 5.5-17.0mm in 0.5mm increments.