鋼鐵製造商:安賽樂米塔爾可能進一步關停在歐工廠
ArcelorMittal has refused to rule out further plant closures in Europe as the global steel industry enters what some observers fear could be a five-year spell of overcapacity linked to signs of a severe slowdown in demand and consumption in China.
安賽樂米塔爾(ArcelorMittal)拒絕排除進一步關停在歐工廠的可能性。與此同時，全球鋼鐵行業正陷入某些觀察人士擔心可能長達五年的產能過剩期。人們可從中國鋼鐵消費及需求增長顯著放緩影響的跡象中認識到這種產能過剩。The unwillingness by the world's biggest steelmaker to confirm previous pledges that it would keep its main European factories open has sparked speculation that it might be preparing to announce permanent shutdowns of some of its smaller units on the continent.
這家全球最大的鋼鐵製造商不願確認其早前有關保持在歐主要工廠運轉的承諾，人們因此紛紛猜測該公司或準備宣佈永久關閉部分在歐的中小型工廠。Lakshmi Mittal, chairman, chief executive and main owner of the company, told the Financial Times that the "sustained collapse in European steel demand has created a severe imbalance with potential supply of the metal" and that the overall problems for the world economy remained "very concerning".
安賽樂米塔爾董事長、首席執行官和主要股東拉克希米•米塔爾(Lakshmi Mittal)對英國《金融時報》表示，"歐洲（鋼鐵）需求持續下滑導致潛在供應與需求之間出現嚴重失衡"，而且世界經濟面臨的整體問題仍然"非常令人擔憂"。
In answer to questions about whether ArcelorMittal was considering any further closures in Europe to add to the permanent shutdowns of two plant furnaces in Liege, Belgium, a company spokesperson would only say that "no further plans have been announced".
在被問及安塞樂米塔爾除永久性關閉兩座位於比利時列日的工廠外是否還在考慮進一步關閉在歐工廠時，該公司一位發言人僅表示"目前尚未公佈進一步的計劃"。Isabelle Barthes, policy adviser at Industriall, a Brussels-based trade union covering the metals industry, said she was "concerned" about the possibility of ArcelorMittal making further large cuts in its European plant network.
鋼鐵行業貿易協會Industriall的政策顧問伊莎貝爾•巴爾泰斯(Isabelle Barthes)表示，她對安塞樂米塔爾進一步大幅關停在歐工廠的可能性感到"憂慮"。Industriall的總部位於布魯塞爾。Hermann Reith, an analyst at BHF Bank in Germany, said the whole of the steel industry in the developed world was suffering from "structural overcapacity" in which plant supply was about 20 per cent higher than likely demand. "I can't see any potential for improvement for some time," Mr Reith said.
德國BHF銀行分析師赫爾曼•賴特(Hermann Reith)指出，發達國家的整個鋼鐵行業存在"結構性產能過剩"問題，工廠產能較潛在需求高出約20%。他表示："短期內我看不到任何改善的可能。"If ArcelorMittal were to cut its European plant network in any sizeable way, it would signify a partial unravelling of the logic behind the bitterly fought acquisition by Mr Mittal in 2006 of Luxembourg-based Arcelor. The deal to create ArcelorMittal was driven by the Indian billionaire's idea about uniting his Mittal Steel business – which had a big presence in the US and eastern Europe – with Arcelor's high-tech steel making plants in western Europe.
若安塞樂米塔爾大幅關停在歐工廠，則表明拉克希米•米塔爾2006年艱難收購總部位於盧森堡的安賽樂背後的邏輯已部分不復成立。安塞樂米塔爾的成立動機，來自於這位印度億萬富翁欲把安賽樂位於西歐的高科技鋼鐵產能與自己旗下的米塔爾鋼鐵業務聯合在一起的構想。米塔爾鋼鐵在美國和東歐擁有大量業務。The most likely candidates for plant closure would include several fairly small units in France, Germany and Spain – although it could also include facilities in Romania and Poland which he owned prior to the Arcelor acquisition.
最有可能被關停的工廠包括位於法國、德國以及西班牙的幾家規模較小的工廠——拉克希米•米塔爾在羅馬尼亞和波蘭的工廠（他在收購安賽樂之前已擁有這些工廠）也有關停可能。Europe accounts for about half ArcelorMittal's steel output but only about a sixth of its profits – a fact driven by higher costs in Europe plus the weakness of demand in the continent linked to difficult conditions for many industries that use steel such as construction, cars and white goods.
歐洲佔安塞樂米塔爾鋼鐵產出的約二分之一，但僅佔其利潤的約六分之一—主要是受歐洲生產成本較高以及市場需求疲軟影響。這種需求疲軟與歐洲的建築、汽車及白色家電等多個存在用鋼需求的行業處境艱難有關。This year world steel demand is forecast by Meps, a UK consultancy, to rise by only a weak 3.6 per cent, mainly due to a marked slowdown in the growth in demand for the commodity in China. Over the past three months, steel prices have fallen in most parts of the world, putting steel industry profitability under strain.
英國鋼鐵諮詢公司Meps預計，今年全球鋼鐵需求將僅微弱增長3.6%，這主要是受中國鋼鐵需求增長顯著放緩影響。過去三個月中，全球絕大部分地區的鋼鐵價格出現下跌，鋼鐵行業的盈利能力承受着壓力。
