Ohio Steel Industry Advisory Council
Fall 1997
On
the Steel Front
Steel Front Sidebars
Growth of Steel Processors Points to Strength of Ohio
Steel Industry
Legislative Lookout
Steel Council Visits Industrial Museum, Tours WCI and
CSC
Ohio Appliance Roundup Yields Large Increase in Collections
Ohio Steel Council Welcomes New Member
Steel
Council Focuses on Education The Ohio Steel Council
is placing an emphasis on educating Buckeye State teachers and students
about the importance of the steel industry to the overall economy and
hopes to open young people's eyes to career opportunities in the industry. The Council's Education
Committee recently met to adopt a mission statement and determine the
direction it should take in launching the new initiative. "We intend to
focus on the future of the steel industry, while emphasizing the critical
role steel producers play in building a stronger Ohio," said Dr. Nicholas
G. Hall, Committee chairman and professor of management sciences and industrial
and systems engineering at The Ohio State University. "We also want to enlighten
people to the new and emerging technologies that are used in today's steel
industry." The Committee is considering
the development of educational materials that can be incorporated into
the curriculum for high school, technical college and university teachers
and be made available to community groups. Ideas being explored include
videos, presentations and tours of steel plants for educators. Harold V. Kelly, co-chairman
of the Council and executive vice president at Republic Engineered Steels,
Inc. in Massillon, stressed the importance of making people aware that
the industry is forward-thinking and has undertaken much advancement.
"The success of the steel industry depends on our ability to instill a
sense of pride about Ohio steel and encourage young people to develop
skills to become a part of this changing industry," said Kelly, ex-officio
member of the Committee. Some steel companies
are involved in educational efforts on an individual basis through Junior
Achievement and other programs. LTV Steel Co. in Cleveland, for example,
operates an institute that exposes high-school students to advanced studies
in science, math and technology, while introducing them to careers in
steel. Among those attending
the Committee session were Mary Norton of the Steel Recycling Institute;
D.J. Moore, metallurgical systems engineer at WCI Steel, Inc. in Warren;
Loren Burzycki, human resources manager at Republic Engineered Steels;
and Pat Valente of the Ohio Department of Development.
[back
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LTV Corporation selected Marion, Ohio, for
LTV Steel Tubular Products Co.'s $66 million "best-in-class" automotive
tubing plant, which will employ about 144 people and produce 146,000 tons
of steel tubing per year when fully operational in 1999. AK Steel Corp. in
Middletown has completed a 27-minute video that explains the steelmaking
process in dramatic form. The video is available to teachers and organizations
as an educational tool and for general interest. Armco Inc. and Lukens
Inc. have joined the International Stainless Steel Forum, a new group
of stainless steel producers that will exchange information on international
markets. Armco and Lukens operate Ohio plants. The Timken Company,
based in Canton, recently celebrated the grand opening of its newest facility,
the Winchester Parts Plant in Winchester, Ky.
[back
to top] Growth
of Steel Processors Points to
Strength of Ohio Steel Industry Ohio has experienced
recent growth in steel processing operations, as a handful of companies
have expanded their operations throughout the state. Steel processors buy
steel from primary steelmakers and process it by slitting, cold rolling
and performing other procedures to meet the specifications of their customers
in the automotive, appliance, construction and other industries. "Steel processors
represent a very significant and important customer segment for many Ohio
steelmakers," said Edward R. Caine, president and chief executive officer
of WCI Steel, Inc. in Warren. "The recent growth
in processing operations is a testament to the strength of Ohio steelmakers
and serves as a prime example of how the steel industry itself contributes
to the success of other businesses and industries in the Buckeye State." Among steel processing
companies that have undertaken recent expansions are: - Cold Metal Products,
Inc., a Youngstown company that completed a $25 million expansion to
its rolling mill in Ottawa, southwest of Toledo. The project included
installation of a 50-inch wide Z-mill, hydrogen annealing furnaces and
a temper mill.
- Gibraltar Steel
Corporation, a Buffalo, N.Y. company that is spending up to $13 million
to install a 56-inch wide cold-rolling mill in Cleveland.
- Worthington Industries,
Inc. of Columbus, which invested $90 million in a new processing plant
in Delta.
- Greer Steel Company,
which is undertaking a $3 million expansion in Dover, south of Canton,
to install a state-of-the-art slitter. The project continues a multi-million-dollar
improvement program that began four years ago.
[back
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Steel
Council Raises
Concerns over Rail Merger The Ohio Steel Council
cited in a statement to the federal government that three northeast Ohio
steelmakers would be put at a competitive disadvantage under the proposed
breakup of Conrail Inc. The statement outlines
similar concerns that were raised by Governor George V. Voinovich when
he recently announced that Ohio would oppose the merger of Conrail with
Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Corp. Ohio and the Steel
Council filed their concerns with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board,
which is reviewing the merger plan. WCI Steel, Inc. in
Warren, Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. in Massillon and The Timken Company
in Canton would be adversely affected by the plan to divide Conrail between
Norfolk Southern and CSX. Because steelmaking
relies on an efficient and dependable rail system for transporting raw
materials and finished products, railroads must continue to provide competitive
access to rail lines and encourage price stability after the merger, the
Council said. "A competitive rail
system is critical to these companies and to economic development opportunities
in Ohio and throughout the region," stated Harold V. Kelly, co-chairman
of the Council and executive vice president at Republic Engineered Steels. Under the plan, WCI
is being denied competitive access to its iron ore supplier in Ashtabula
via a Conrail line that would be taken over by Norfolk. Although Norfolk
would allow CSX use of the line, it has denied CSX the right to make a
necessary turn between Ashtabula and WCI. The turn shortens the distance
between Ashtabula and WCI. The second issue concerns
the ability of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Rail Company to maintain viable
rail service to Timken and Republic. The steelmakers are served by Conrail
and Wheeling & Lake Erie, a Norfolk Southern partner. Because Norfolk Southern
would take over the Conrail line, the merger would cause Wheeling & Lake
Erie's partner to become its principal competitor. This could result in
the loss of Wheeling & Lake Erie as a low-cost competitor, the Council
said.
[back
to top] Steel
Council Visits Industrial
Museum, Tours WCI and CSC Ohio Steel Council
members recently visited the Mahoning Valley to tour WCI Steel, Inc. and
CSC Ltd., as well as the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry. The visit provided
an opportunity to view the Warren steelmakers' plants and to look back
at the rich history of steelmaking in Ohio through displays of equipment
and other steel-related items at the Youngstown museum.
[back
to top] Ohio
Appliance Roundup
Yields Large Increase in Collections The third annual Ohio
Appliance Recycling Roundup resulted in the collection of more than 30,000
appliances, an increase of 13,555 over the 1996 effort. The Ohio Roundup is
the most successful and most comprehensive statewide appliance collection
effort in the nation, according to the Steel Recycling Institute, which
sponsored this year's program with the Ohio Steel Council, Ohio Department
of Natural Resources, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and Whirlpool
Corporation. Collected appliances
enter the scrap recovery network, where their steel components are separated
and shipped to the Ohio steel industry for reuse. "The significant increase
in collections is a testament to the success of this program, as well
as Ohio's commitment to recycling," said Bill Heenan, president of the
Steel Recycling Institute. Statewide interest
has been building steadily each year since the program was launched in
1995. In 1996, 16,891 appliances were collected, compared to 8,321 in
1995. This year's final count was 30,446. "We cannot stress enough that
steel is the most recyclable material on this planet, and that every piece
has a market," said Harold V. Kelly, executive vice president of Republic
Engineered Steels, Inc. in Massillon. "Ohio steel producers are among
the largest recyclers, buying thousands of tons of recycled steel every
year." With the help of grants
from ODNR, 45 Ohio counties held special activities to collect appliances
from April through October. To increase interest and encourage participation,
residents were eligible to win washer/dryer sets donated by Whirlpool.
[back
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Steel Council
Welcomes New Member George H. Niarchos
has been appointed to represent Lukens Inc. on the Ohio Steel Council. Niarchoshas been plant
manager of Lukens' Massillon operations since June 1997 and previously
worked three years as superintendent of cold roll operations at the Massillon
plant. Before joining Lukens,
Niarchos worked in a variety of steel positions, including manager of
production planning and quality assurance at Mercury Stainless Inc. in
Massillon and manager of technical services at LTV Steel Co.'s bar division
in Cleveland. He also was chief
metallurgist at the Canton Works of LTV and the former Republic Steel
Corp.[back
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