Two developments, in the last year and a half, suggest that Scotland is beginning to recover at least some of its historic metal-making capacity. In Insider today:
‘Liberty Steel Dalzell back in business. A Scottish steel plant has vowed to win back market share in the import-dominated market for heavy-duty steel that is used in bridges, buildings and battleships. Dalzell is now the only remaining UK-owned large producer of plate steel, an ultra-tough product used for demanding applications such as large physical structures, ship bodies, undersea oil pipes, bulldozers and wind towers…..the plant has just secured two substantial new contracts and is on target to produce more than 120,000 tonnes of plate this year…..this figure is set to rise by at least another 25% next year, as the plant’s expansion plan moves into its next phase. Other Liberty plants in Scotland and England will use a significant amount of steel from Dalzell to make products such as wind towers and oil pipelines.’
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/liberty-steel-dalzell-motherwell-mackay-13051829
In March 2017, I was able to write this:
The Lochaber Delivery Group met for the first time today to begin the process of helping the GFG Alliance (Liberty House and SIMEC) make the most of their total £450 million investment in the area subsequent to buying the Fort William aluminium complex and estate lands from Rio Tinto in a £330 million deal in December.
You’ll remember that Liberty House have already worked with the Scottish Government to save the steel plants at Dalzell and Clydebridge. The plans are to revitalise (already underway) the smelter to manufacture car parts, to do the same for nearby hydro plants (£120 million), to maximise cost savings in that manufacture and, along with two bio-fuel plants, to create a state-of-the-art facility which will add 1 000 direct and 1 000 indirect jobs in the area and a predicted £1 billion addition to the local economy. Unemployment in the Fort William area is generally well under (2.9%) the overall Scottish rate (4.9%) but I’m sure it would be a very popular place to relocate to.
This will be the UK’s last aluminium smelter putting it in a very good place to compete to produce car parts for the wider UK and European car manufacturers. Of course India’s car ownership growth is the fastest in the world at 7.64% or 2.54 million vehicles in 2016 and is expected to grow by 775% to 2040! Who owns the Lochaber mill? It’s a Mr Gupta. Now where does that name originate?
GFG Alliance (Liberty/SIMEC) Executive Chairman Sanjeev Gupta said:
‘One of the key reasons we invested in the Highlands was because people welcomed us here. That’s been reinforced by the positive response of the many agencies in the new Lochaber Delivery Group who are eager to play their part in delivering the goal of a clean, competitive and sustainable manufacturing sector in the Highlands.’
http://news.gov.scot/news/lochaber-once-more
http://auto.ndtv.com/news/indias-passenger-car-ownership-to-grow-775-per-cent-by-2040-study-1425954
I appreciate that this is only a fraction of what we once did but it’s still something to be encouraged by.
- I know it should be ‘mettle’, pedants. I’m playing with words for effect! Anyhoo, as recently as the 17th Century, the words were used inter-changeably so there!
Talking-up Scotland 
Wonder why we never hear any of these good news stories on BBC Scotland , is it their deliberate policy only to tell the Scottish public about failures , usually attributed to the SNP , you would think at least every now and again they would at least try to throw one of these good news stories into the mix . Hope there is a big turnout on the 18th August at Pacific Quay, time we reminded them they are not the judge and jury of this country ! .
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We do get the odd good news story. It’s called repressive tolerance.
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Should be 11th August ! This Saturday.
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looks like half the country are blissfully unaware of what is going on and not what the media would have them believe , a very simple test is watch any of the news networks and note how many items refer to scotland or scottish people , I guarantee you will wait a very long time to (a) hear a scots accent or (b) to see or hear anything involving this country , not a region a Whole country , you would have more chance of news about scotland by tuning into a european news channel thats how farcical the situation is , bloody waken up people we are being removed from history, even our products and produce have been under the mass union jack assault , at the royal highland show every single photo and product that was wholly scottish suddenly became british this accompanied with a glaket smiling fluffy looking on and expecting adulation from his English masters , what a sad excuse for a scot, a grovelling sniveling useless article .
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Yep, sick of Scotland and its people being eroded to history. The Union Jack thing is just sickening, and I should point out I’m very happy to buy English products (with the English flag etc on them), but the idea of slapping a Union Jack on everything somehow makes a better together message is bollocks, particularly when everyone in the world interprets that flag as ‘English’. I also believe the Union Jack use is another example of self-harm by the establishment – e.g. Is ‘British’ haggis really going to sell as well as the Scottish equivalent? Beggars belief.
On a positive note, I think more and more people realise things aren’t right with the media – slowly, and maybe not to the full extent of how much they are being fooled, but we can only keep plugging away.
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‘a glaket smiling fluffy looking on and expecting adulation from his English masters , what a sad excuse for a scot, a grovelling sniveling useless article’ – well put!
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Id also like to see us open up into basalt Basalt Rebar or other possibilities keeping an open mind LINKI – https://basalt-rebar.com/
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Fascinating. Didn’t know about this.
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Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
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