BFs in the country cut steel production drastically in the first half of 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic battering demand in the automotive and manufacturing sector.

The index for Japanese manufacturing output has started to bounce back from its second-quarter lows, hitting 89.8 points in July, up from 82.9 points in June but down from January’s 93.5 points, according to the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Brazilian flat steel producer Usiminas has restarted its No1 blast furnace (BF) in Ipatinga city, in the country’s southeastern Minas Gerais state, it said on Wednesday August 26.

Usiminas has resumed activities at the blast furnace and its No1 steelworks at the mill, both halted in April because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Brazilian economy.

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• [Editor:kangmingfei]