Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has indicated that the future of finishing lines at Stelco's Hamilton Works in Ontario is in jeopardy. This is contingent on Canada implementing more robust measures to protect against steel imports, according to a report from July 23, 2026. This warning comes amidst broader concerns about import competition affecting North American steel production.
This potential idling at Stelco follows a series of operational adjustments by Cleveland-Cliffs. In June 2025, Goncalves announced that the company's rail mill in Steelton, Pennsylvania, would be idled on June 30, and tinplate production at its Weirton, West Virginia, mill would not restart. Both decisions were attributed to import competition, despite increased Section 232 tariffs. Cliffs had idled the Weirton facility in 2024 after the International Trade Commission (ITC) determined that imports did not pose a threat to domestic production of tin mill products.
The company has also faced challenges at its Dearborn Works in Michigan. In March 2025, Cleveland-Cliffs announced layoffs for more than 1,200 workers in Michigan and Minnesota, with 600 job cuts at Dearborn due to falling automotive demand. While the Dearborn blast furnace was idled in July 2025, its restart is now conditional on automakers reshoring more production to the U.S., as stated by Goncalves in July 2026. This series of actions underscores the persistent pressure from imports and the company's strategic responses to maintain competitiveness.
