United States Steel Corporation announced that it will temporarily idle its Minnesota Ore Operations Keetac plant in Keewatin, Minn., effective May 13. The temporary idling is due to the company's current inventory levels and ongoing adjustment of its steelmaking operations throughout North America to match customer demand.

The company routinely adjusts production at its operating facilities to reflect market fluctuations. These ongoing operational adjustments are a result of challenging market conditions that reflect the cyclical nature of the industry. Global influences in the market, including a high level of imports, unfairly traded products and reduced steel prices, continue to have an impact.

As part of the temporary idling, 412 employees at Keetac have been advised of the upcoming temporary idling and are being issued notices under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining NotificationAct. The number of employees impacted will be based upon operational and, or maintenance needs.

Source : http://www.steelguru.com/