Economy

Fire Knocks Out Steel Technologies’ Pickle Line
Written by Tim Triplett
April 23, 2019
Steel Technologies is assessing the operational impact from a fire early Monday morning that knocked out power and damaged the pickle line and pickle bay at its Ghent, Ky., plant. No injuries were reported from the incident.
State and local officials have confirmed that chemicals used in production were contained in designated storage vessels, the company said. Slitting and warehousing bays and inventory suffered no damage.
“Steel Technologies would like to thank the Gallatin County Emergency Management Agency and the numerous first responder teams for their quick action and guidance,” stated Michael Carroll, CEO and President. “We expect all slitting, shipping and receiving bays to be operational within the week. The pickle line is expected to be down for the foreseeable future and we are addressing that with our customers accordingly.”
The 244,500-square-foot Ghent facility was originally built in 1995 and has over 110 employees. Capabilities include pickling, leveling and slitting of flat-rolled steel.
Steel Technologies, based in Louisville, Ky., is a leading processor of steel and aluminum with a network of 25 operations across North America.

Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Economy

Chicago Business Barometer falls back in April, remains in contraction
The Chicago Business Barometer declined in April, reversing March’s gains, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

Fewer manufacturers optimistic about the economy
PMA’s April report shows that only 16% of surveyed manufacturers anticipate an increase in economic activity in the next three months (down from 23% in March)

Architecture billings continue to slide in March
Architecture firms said billings continued to decline in March, according to the latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) released by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek.

Beige Book shows concerns about trade policy
Manufacturing was mixed, but two-thirds of districts said activity was little changed or had declined.

New York state manufacturing index drops again in April
Firms were pessimistic, with the future general business conditions index falling to its second lowest reading in the more than 20-year history of the survey