HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 21, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) said today its Heckett MultiServ division is expanding its strategic presence in Latin America's steel and metals industry under a series of new contracts and service add-ons to existing contracts having a combined value of more than $65 million. The contracts range from five to ten years in duration. Heckett MultiServ is the world's largest provider of outsourced, on-site services to steel mills and other metals producers, operating at more than 160 mill locations worldwide.
In Mexico, Heckett MultiServ has been awarded new responsibilities for scrap handling and slag pot carrying services at the Atlax (Sidenor) works, expanding an eight-year relationship that already included metal recovery and other services.
In Brazil, Heckett MultiServ will assume major new responsibilities for on-site scrap management services as part of an expanded contract with Acesita, South America's sole producer of special flat stainless and silicon steels. Acesita is controlled by the Usinor Group, one of the world's leading steelmakers and a major Heckett MultiServ customer worldwide. Heckett MultiServ will be responsible for handling and stocking incoming scrap materials for the mill and transporting designated scrap menus to the mill's melt shop for use in the steelmaking process.
Also in Brazil, Heckett MultiServ has been awarded an all-new contract at the Vallourec & Mannesmann (V & M do BRASIL S.A.) steel works to provide on-site material transport services of finished and semi-finished products. V & M do BRASIL is the largest supplier of steel tubes in Brazil and a major exporter throughout Latin America. The award, Heckett MultiServ's first at the V & M works, comes as part of the mill's strategy to consolidate its service providers, reduce costs through new technology, and increase productivity.
In Chile, Heckett MultiServ has finalized a new contract at Noranda's Altonorte copper smelting facility under which Heckett MultiServ will provide slag pot carrying services to support the plant's increasing production requirements and efficiency. In November of 1998, Noranda announced a $170 million expansion of Altonorte, scheduled to be completed early in 2003, which is expected to nearly double the plant's annual copper production. While slag pot transport has long been a core strength of Heckett MultiServ's services to the steel industry, the Altonorte contract marks Heckett MultiServ's first award for similar responsibilities within the South American copper industry.
"Our expanding market presence in Mexico and South America and the strategically important relationships we have developed with that region's leading producers reinforce our optimism for future growth opportunities in this fundamentally strong geographic sector," said Heckett MultiServ - West Region President K. F. Bruch III.
Harsco Corporation provides market-leading industrial services and products to the worldwide infrastructure development, steel and metals, railway transportation, gas and energy markets. The company employs approximately 20,000 people in 40 countries of operation, with annual revenues in excess of $2 billion. Additional information about Harsco, including its Heckett MultiServ division, can be found at www.harsco.com.