Zenica Steelworks blast furnace shut down – The end of 130 years of steel production

The last day of production at the New Zenica Steelworks (Nova Zeljezara Zenica) was not just the end of a shift, as usual, for some of the workers. Yesterday, it was the end of an era that had lasted more than 130 years, the end of the pulse by which this city breathed, worked and lived.

The shutdown of the blast furnace at the Zenica Steelworks marked the end of an important production cycle and opened up numerous questions about the future of the company and its employees, Klix reports.

The last melt pouring

The last melt pouring was carried out in the blast furnace plant, which was sent to the steelworks for further processing. The workers monitored the final processes and controlled the production parameters, aware that this was the end of a phase of work that had been the basis of industrial production in Zenica for decades.

The employees remind that the situation was also complex in 2023, when the blast furnace switched to the so-called cold mode. Then, after strikes and negotiations, production was restarted, which instilled some optimism among the workers. This time, they say, the situation is different because there is still no clear information about the continuation of production or the long-term status of the employees.

End of the process

During the final hours of work, a drop in temperature in the system and changes on the control screens marked the end of a process that is otherwise tied to continuous production.

For the workers who have spent more than three decades at this plant, it is a moment that has both professional and personal significance.

The melt then reached the steelworks, where the last 120 tons of liquid steel were poured. This steel was used to make billets that serve as raw materials for reinforcement, wire and other products that have been part of construction and industrial production in the region and beyond for years.

Nova željezara Zenica

New Zenica Steelworks

Blast Furnace

steel production

shutdown of production at Željezara Zenica

shutdown of production at Zenica Steelworks

shutdown of blast furnace