ThyssenKrupp, Germany’s biggest steelmaker, is ramping up production at its USD 12 billion plants in Brazil and the US, underpinning its ambitious growth strategy in Europe and the NAFTA region. The first line of production at the EUR 5.2 billion Brazil plant started in July 2010 and the first hot rolled coil, a key steel product for making cars, was produced at the USD 5 billion steelmaking and processing plants in Alabama. ThyssenKrupp decided in August 2010 to move forward to end-2010 the launch of Brazil’s second line of production from its previous schedule of first quarter next year. Faced by a slump in steel demand last year, it had opted for a gradual ramp-up at all plants.