Orders for steel products have dropped sharply Courtesy of ArcelorMittal

The Warsaw unit of international steel producer ArcelorMittal has decided to temporarily suspend production at its steelworks and rolling mill as a result of the sharply decreasing number of orders for reinforcement bars used in construction.

The company said that the decline is mainly due to illegal practices in steel trading in Poland and VAT fraud on imported reinforcement bars. According to the Polish Association of Steel Stockholders, 40 percent of reinforcement bars sold in Poland may come from illegal sources. 

The production in the steelworks will be suspended for nine days, and in the rolling mill for 11 days.

KW