Georgetown Steel, once a premier U.S. steel wire rod producer, has continued to go through extended harsh times, with further cuts by its U.K. owners, Liberty Steel.

Per multiple media reports, some four months ago Liberty Steel cut 50 Georgetown positions, with a company spokesman cited as saying that staffing had dwindled to six workers. “We’re hoping to restart at some point when market conditions get better,” said Reace Smith, Liberty Steel’s head of communications and brand.

The Georgetown steel mill, which opened in 1969, was ranked as the 14th largest U.S. steel producer in 1981, and at one point had some 1,500 employees. The cyclical steel market was cruel at points, and it has seen a series of new owners. Those included the government of Kuwait in 1984, Bain Capital LLC in 1993, Mid-Coast Industries in 2002, the International Steel Group in 2004, India’s Lakshmi Mittal in 2005, ArcelorMittal in 2011 and the Liberty Steel Group in 2018.