Steel Products

SMU Steel 201 – Workshop for the Experienced and Inexperienced
Written by John Packard
July 20, 2018
On Sept. 11 & 12, Steel Market Update, in conjunction with AK Steel, will conduct our first Steel 201: Introduction to Advanced High Strength & Other New Steels Workshop. Everything about this workshop is special:
- It is the first workshop that we be held at the research facility at a fully integrated steel mill (AK Steel Research & Innovation Center).
- It is the first workshop where we are using metallurgists/engineers/management from a mill to assist in the teaching of the course (AK Steel).
- It is the first time Steel Market Update will tour an AK Steel facility (we will tour Middletown).
- It is the first time we will have an instructor from an equipment manufacturer (Dean Linders, Vice President, Red Bud Industries) discussing how to process high strength and other new steels.
- It is the first workshop we have designed to benefit both those experienced in the steel industry and those who are new to the industry.
This workshop will start on Tuesday, Sept. 11, with an abbreviated review of the steelmaking process to make sure all attendees can appreciate what will be coming next. AK and SMU instructors will go through how different grades of steel are made and what to expect while touring the AK Research and Innovation Center (RIC).
After the tour of the RIC, AK instructors will discuss light-weighting options for automotive and potentially other applications.
Dean Linders of Red Bud Industries will then discuss the challenges his company faced in learning how to process these new steels and the kinds of equipment needed to level, blank or slit advanced high strength steels (AHSS).
That evening we will have dinner with AK Steel executives, SMU instructors and all of our attendees. This will be an excellent opportunity for our attendees to network with the group.
On Wednesday, Sept. 12, we will spend four hours touring the AK Steel Middletown fully integrated, automotive quality flat rolled steel mill. Every mill tour is special and this one should be no different.
We will return to the AK Research and Innovation Center to discuss what was witnessed during the mill tour (AK Steel and SMU instructors) and then we will complete the program with a discussion about solving customer issues – how does one go about designing a part, taking it from the idea stage, working with suppliers to define the steels necessary to make the part in final production.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
- Any company that is involved with technical sales/purchasing as part of their process. This would include salespeople, purchasing executives, commodity managers, engineers, production managers, all the way up to the president and CEO of the company.
- If your company has any exposure to automotive applications or processing.
- Anyone who wants to learn more about how various grades of steels are made and what can be done with those steels.
- Anyone who wants to get ahead of their competition and learn more about steel and how it can be used.
You can register for this workshop on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/events/steel-201 or by contacting our office at 772-932-7638.

John Packard
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