Steel Products
Kentucky Electric Steel Closing Operations
Written by Sandy Williams
January 11, 2018
Steel merchant bar producer Kentucky Electric Steel, located in Boyd County, will cease operations permanantly on March 10, laying off 113 employees.
“This is nothing but bad and sad news,” said Boyd County Judge Executive Steve Towler. “Every job we lose has an impact on the county in many ways.” The county is still recovering from the idling of AK Steel’s Ashland plant two years ago.
The KES minimill produced merchant bar quality and special bar quality steel bar flats for various applications.
The mill is owned by Optima Specialty Steel. Optima filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2016 and emerged from bankruptcy protection in October 2017.
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Sandy Williams
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