Steel Mills
AK Steel Ashland Furnace Back in Production
Written by Sandy Williams
December 6, 2014
AK Steel has completed the reline of the blast furnace hearth at its Ashland, Kentucky Works and the furnace is back in full production. The maintenance and reline, which took 27 days, was moved up from 2015 to correct issues that occurred with the furnace earlier this year.
AK Steel reports that the furnace is at full capacity and operating well above pre-outage levels.
“We are very pleased that the Ashland blast furnace is back on-line and operating well,” said James L. Wainscott, Chairman, President and CEO of AK Steel. “Completion of this outage helps position us to serve our customers’ needs for years to come.”
The outage cost the company approximately $19 million in capital investments and $31 million associated with the outage itself and reduced production levels at Ashland Works prior to the maintenance.
The impact on customers was minimized, said AK Steel, through increased production at its other plants and purchase of additional slabs.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
SSAB cites US strength but flags tariff-driven uncertainty
The Americas segment of Swedish steelmaker SSAB delivered a stable third quarter, but with weaker shipments and continuing cautious demand. Plate prices held, but tariffs, slowing end-user demand, and...
AHMSA drama deepens as drawn-out bankruptcy slowly progresses
A former CEO goes to court for swiping tin. An OEM distributor slams the bankruptcy trustee for failing workers and creditors. The steelmaker fires back. Angry employees demand back pay as tensions rise in Monclova's steel saga.
Cliffs aligns with US critical mineral policy, moves forward with DOE-funded projects
Cleveland-Cliffs is positioning itself as a key player in America’s push for industrial independence.
SDI execs tout progress on Mississippi biocarbon facility
SDI shipped the first product from its biocarbon facility in Columbus, Miss., in September as the project continues to accelerate.
SDI profits soar in Q3’25 amid ‘record’ steel shipments
Steel Dynamics Inc.’s third-quarter profits jumped year over year as the company saw “record” quarterly steel shipments