Bekaert, a global market and technology leader in steel wire transformation and coatings, signed in April the Closing Memoranda which confirms the acquisition of the majority of the shares (73%) of the ArcelorMittal steel wire plant in Costa Rica (renamed BIA Alambres Costa Rica SA).
Bekaert’s expansions in Costa Rica was implemented via the Bekaert Ideal Holding and hence includes a regional extension of the partnership between Bekaert and its Ecuadorian partners. The deal also builds on the partnership which Bekaert and ArcelorMittal currently have in Brazil raising its share from 45% to 100% in the Cimaf ropes plant in Brazil. This leading steel rope producer has been renamed Bekaert Cimaf Cabos and will be integrated in Bekaert’s global ropes platform.
The steel wire activities in Costa Rica manufacture, sell and distribute wire products for construction, agricultural fencing, and industrial applications. The production and sales activities are located in Orotina (near San José), Costa Rica.
A new Dramix® plant will start up in Orotina, Costa Rica. The company will be named Bekaert Costa Rica SA. The plant will become operational in the second quarter of 2014. In a first phase, the plant will employ 60 employees, all of whom will be recruited in the local market. Bekaert adds the production of Dramix® steel fibers to serve infrastructure and construction markets in the Americas. Dramix® is a Bekaert designed and patented steel fiber for the reinforcement of concrete in industrial flooring and building projects, as well as in infrastructure applications such as tunnels and mine shafts.