PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest Mining and Steel Complex of Ukraine with a complete metallurgical cycle. It is regarded to be the most powerful enterprise in Europe.
The history of enterprise started on June 16 1931, when the head of Supreme Council of National Economy of USSR Grigoriy (Sergo) Ordzhonikidze signed a Decree on the construction of the Kryvyi Rih Metallurgical Plant. According to the Decree the Plant was to be commissioned until the end of 1932. Construction started in 1931 on the basis of Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin (Krivbas).
James I. Vesnyk, a former military commissar, experienced Soviet leader and a personal friend of Ordzhonikidze was appointed as a Head of Construction and the first Director of the Plant.
First, it was necessary to choose a location for a future giant of industry. They considered four options: near the modern Karachunovske reservoir, on Hdantsivka (based on existing Ironworks), near the Kryvyi Rih railway station (Now Kryvyi Rih – Zakhidnyi) and, finally, not far from Chervona Station. They decided to choose the final version.
In November 1931 the first foundation for the first blast furnace (BF- 1) was laid down. On August 4, 1934 it was commissioned. The first blast furnace was named "Komsomolka".
In 1941 there were three operational blast furnaces, the Bessemer shop with 2 steelmaking units, CHP and 2 turbo generators. In August 1941, the enterprise was evacuated to Nizhny Tagil in the Urals. The buildings of the shops were blown up. Building up the industrial facilities started in 1948.
In December 1974, the world's most powerful blast furnace (№ 9) with effective volume of 5000 cubic meters was commissioned and it still remains the largest blast furnace in Ukraine and one of the largest ones in the world.
In December 1983, the enterprise was reorganized into the plant.
In 1996 reorganization of the plant was started. Novokryvorizkyy Mining and Concentration Complex became a part of the Kryvyi Rih State Mining and Metallurgical Complex "Kryvorizhstal" as its structural unit, the agro industrial complex was created. In 1997, the Coke Plant was attached to the Complex.
In 2001, the Underground Extraction Mine Management was established as a separate unit of the "Kryvorizhstal" Complex on the basis of separate industrial capacities of the Kirov Mine Management.
Since 2004, the company is known as JSC "Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Combine".
In 2004, as a result of the privatization the enterprise became a part of the consortium "Investment and Metallurgical Union". In 2005, the enterprise was owned by the state all over again. In October 2005 a second competition was held; it was won by «Mittal Steel». In 2006 the enterprise was renamed "Mittal Steel Kryvyi Rih". In 2007, the enterprise was attached to the corporation "ArcelorMittal". On April 21, 2011 the enterprise was renamed as OJSC "ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih".
In October 2011, the continuous casting machine was commissioned as one of the key investment projects.