AK Steel to expand electrical steel production capacity

AK Steel said today that its board of directors has approved a capital investment of $14 million for the second phase of a project to increase production capacity for high quality, grain-oriented electrical sheet steels. The expansion project is aimed at helping the company meet strong market demand for electrical steel products. The newly approved capital funds will be used to upgrade existing production equipment at the company's Butler, Pa. plant to increase electrical steel production, projects which are expected to be completed early in 2007.

The first phase of the expansion project, already underway, included investments for equipment upgrades at the Butler and Zanesville, Ohio plants, and the introduction of new operating practices. These phase-one projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006. The completion of the first two project phases will increase the company's total annual grain-oriented electrical steel production by about 50,000 tons, or 20 percent, to more than 300,000 tons per year.