Steel giant EVRAZ has shut down its plant in Regina, Canada, and temporarily laid off its workers after a ransomware attack reportedly hit its North American operations.
The shutdown is expected to last at least three days. EVRAZ management told local officials from United Steel Workers that the problem is expected to be resolved by Monday.
The Regina plant is among a cluster of facilities in the U.S. and Canada for EVRAZ North America. The plant ships out large quantities of steel plate, coil, pipe and tubing.
“It will be a pretty significant impact for us, as we do haul a lot of coil for them,” a dispatcher at Langelaar Transport in Alberta told FreightWaves. “But it is what it is.”
A spokesperson for Chicago-based EVRAZ North America did not respond to FreightWaves’ requests for comment about the cyberattack or its impacts.
The Regina plant employs more than 1,000 people. The temporary layoffs began taking effect late Thursday.
“It looks pretty bad,” Mike Day, president of United Steel Workers SW 5890, told FreightWaves.
Founded by Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov, EVRAZ is one of the world’s largest steel manufacturers. Its global operations include Russia, Western and Eastern Europe, and South Africa.