U.S. Steel and Kobe Steel Invest in Advanced High-Strength Steel Capabilities
They are spending $400 million on a new continuous galvanizing line at PRO-TEC Coating Company, their joint venture in Ohio.
Posted: September 28, 2017
United States Steel Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA) and Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) announced their agreement to begin construction of a new continuous galvanizing line (CGL) at their subsidiaries’ joint venture, PRO-TEC Coating Company (Leipsic, OH), in response to an increased demand for advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). The new CGL, an investment of approximately $400 million, will have a yearly capacity of 500,000 tons. This line, which will utilize a proprietary process, will be capable of coating steel that will help automakers manufacture economically lightweight vehicles to meet increasing fuel efficiency requirements while maintaining exceptionally high safety standards.
Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the line is expected to commence startup in 2019. U.S. Steel is a market leader in providing their exclusive cold-rolled Generation 3 steels that provide superior formability and high-strength properties while using a low-alloyed approach for robust weldability. The new CGL line will allow PRO-TEC to produce these Generation 3 steels with a hot-dipped zinc coating. Automakers can utilize these steels with their existing stamping and assembly methods to produce safe, strong and cost-effective structural components for vehicle bodies, further reinforcing steel’s position as the economical choice for quality-focused customers.
“This line will be the first of its kind and utilizes proprietary technology capable of producing the high-quality, cutting-edge advanced high-strength steels that will meet our automotive customers’ needs and solve some of their most pressing challenges,” said U. S. Steel president and chief executive officer David B. Burritt. “Our Generation 3 steels continue to reinforce why steel remains the lowest cost, strongest, safest and most environmentally efficient material of choice. We are proud to be taking this step toward the future with Kobe. We thank the JobsOhio team and Ohio’s regulatory authorities, as well as the local, state, and federal elected officials for their support of our investment.”
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