Altos Hornos de México
Private | |
Industry | Metals |
Founded | 1942 |
Headquarters | Monclova, Coahuila |
Key people |
Alonso Ancira, Chairman Luis Zamudio, CEO Manuel Ancira Elizondo, Operations Director Jorge Ancira Elizondo, Finance Director Xavier Autrey Vice-Chairman |
Products |
Steels mining engineering |
Revenue | $36.87 billion MXN (2014)[1] |
Number of employees | 22,250 (2014)[1] |
Parent | Grupo Acerero del Norte (GAN) |
Subsidiaries | List of subsidiaries |
Website | www.ahmsa.com |
Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (AHMSA) is the largest integrated steel plant in Mexico. It has corporate offices in Monclova, Coahuila, in the center of the Mexican state of Coahuila, 155 miles from the United States border.
In an area of nearly 3,000 acres operates two steelworks plants. AHMSA´s operations start with the extraction of coal and iron ore and finishes with the manufacture of high value-added steel products. Currently, AHMSA operates at an annual production rate of 3.5 million metric tons of liquid steel, and it has a workforce of 19,000 people, including its subsidiary companies.
It is a national leader in the production and commercialization of flat steel products including Hot Rolled Coil, Wide Plate, Cold Rolled Coil, Tinplate and Tin-Free Steel. It also produces non-flat steel products like Heavy Shapes. The Company has its own coal mines in Palau, located 70 miles from Monclova. Once extracted, the washed coal is shipped by railroad to AHMSA’s coke plants.
The main source of iron ore is located in Hercules, Coahuila, a mine owned by AHMSA. From that point the iron ore is transported to AHMSA through a 180-mile pipe (called Ferroduct) that crosses the Coahuila desert. The Company also has iron ore mines in some other Mexican states.
History
AHMSA was founded in Mexico by American Harold R. Pape in 1942. In the late 1970s, it was nationalized by the federal government.
In 1991, it was reprivatized when AHMSA was purchased by Grupo Acerero del Norte (“GAN”), led by current Chairman Alonso Ancira.
In 1997, AHMSA announced that it began operation of Blast Furnace No. 2 as part of the Company's scheduled operational programs.
Mr. Ancira left the country in 1999.
In February 2000, AHMSA announced that it has reached an agreement with the debt holders of Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (AHMSA) to restructure AHMSA's debt.
In October 2002, Representatives of the banks, led by Bank of America, Banamex and Bancomer, confirmed that they wished to remove Alonso Ancira from the administration of the company.
In the early 2000s, AHMSA filed for bankruptcy amid declining steel prices. In September 2004, AHMSA announced a strategic alliance with Russian Investors. In recent years, as the price of steel recovered, AHMSA has returned to profitability and plans to exit bankruptcy sometime in 2011.
Quality
- A philosophy of responsible and proactive operation has garnered national and international recognitions for AHMSA and its companies.
- among these are the multiple “Clean Industry” certifications issued by Mexico’s Environmental Protection Department, the Environmental prize granted by the Mexican Chamber of Mining, and the Environmental Excellence Award, given by the Latin American Mining Organism.
- AHMSA’s hot rolling department was approved by the audit of the quality system, based on the European Standard EN 10025:2004.
- A national prize was bestowed during the XIII Electrical Power Saving Contest in the Large Industrial Enterprises category. AHMSA was recertified for three more years by the ISO 14001 standard.
- Integrated systems were established for quality, health and environment in Cold Rolling 1, Structural Shapes and Maintenance and Services.
- MICARE, MIMOSA, CEMESA, Hércules and La Perla were approved by the ISO 9001:2000 standard, without observations.
AHMSA Green
For Altos Hornos de México and its companies, the philosophy of commitment to the welfare of its employees, their families and the communities that make up its area of influence, is the basic framework that governs all its industrial operations.
In addition to AHMSA’s joint participation with authorities in various community development programs, primarily educational, public safety, and urban cleaning, the work accomplished in the area of environmental protection is particularly worthy of special mention. For over fifteen years, environmental investments of more than 300 million dollars and activities aimed at protecting and preserving the surroundings within the mining and steelworks facilities, as well as in the communities, have positioned AHMSA as an example of high social responsibility.
Progress achieved by AHMSA on environmental issues since 1992 has been significant, having maintained permanent programs on several fronts:
- Installation and modernization of state-of-the-art steelworks and mining equipment that incorporates antipollution systems.
- Operating and administrative practices in line with international environmental standards and certified by accredited external auditors.
- Agreements with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (PROFEPA) and with the National Water Commission (CNA), committing to the fulfillment of specific activities, established in the area of pollution control.
- Voluntary adoption of best environmental practices developed at the international level by the industry and certified by the ISO14001 standard.
- Integral rehabilitation of mined areas, with soil regeneration and repopulation of regional flora and fauna, as well as improvement of surroundings.
- Integral support programs for communities where AHMSA companies operate in the Central, Carboniferous, Northern and Desert regions of the state of Coahuila, particularly through waste collection programs, operation of landfills, management and use of waste water, etc.
- Creation of 5 management units for wild flora and fauna conservation, registered with permits as Animal Management Units (UMAs).
These policies and activities have positioned AHMSA and its companies as benchmarks in the field of Mexican steelworks and mining, establishing it as an example of high social responsibility
Business
AHMSA mines its own iron ore and coal to produce steel, and it also produces steam coal. Ahmsa's main product focus is flat steel products such as hot and cold-rolled coil used for machinery parts, railroad tanks and bridge constructions, and structural shapes, used in the manufacturing industry.
Ahmsa’s main steelmaking facilities and corporate offices are located in Monclova, Coahuila, close to transportation lines, raw materials supplies, principal points of export, and the company’s major domestic markets.
As of April 2014, its subsidiaries included:[2]
- Cia. Real de Monte y Pachuca (RDM)
- Hojalata Mexicana SA. de CV. (HOMESA)
- Linea Coahuila-Durango SA de CV
- Minera del Norte
- Nacional de Acero SA. de CV. (NASA)
- Unidad Cerro del Mercado
- Unidad Hercules
- Unidad MICARE
- Unidad MIMOSA
Ticker Symbols
AHMSA; IAM (ADR)
NAICs Codes
- 212111 Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining
- 212112 Bituminous Coal Underground Mining
- 21221 Iron Ore Mining
- 331111 Iron & Steel Mills
- 331221 Cold-Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing
- 331222 Steel Wire Drawing.
References
- 1 2 "Altos Hornos de Mexico SAB de CV". Financial Times. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ↑ "Subsidiarias AHMSA". Company Website (in Spanish). Altos Hornos de Mexico. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
External links
- (English) NY Times Article
- (English) Internet Securities Creditors want Alonso Ancira out of AHMSA.
- Profile on Yahoo! Finance
- Profile at Google Finance
- (Spanish) Altos Hornos de Mexico Corporate Website