OHIO STEELMAKERS REPORT STRONG EXPORTS, OTHER GAINS IN '95

COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 23, 1996) –  Ohio steel producers expanded their global sales efforts in 1995 and finished the year with a surge in exports and an increase in total shipments, a report for the Ohio Steel Commission indicates.

The Commission’s fourth-quarter Ohio Steel Data Report shows that the state’s nine primary steelmakers increased exports last year to 375,000 tons, or 70 percent higher than in 1994. That strong gain was accompanied by an 1 percent increase in total shipments, to more than 14.5 million tons.

The report also shows higher steel spending on payroll, capital investment, health care and state and local taxes in 1995. Average employment also was up.

"These figures clearly reflect the importance of steel production to Ohio," said Harold V. Kelly, co-chairman of the Steel Commission and executive vice president and general counsel at Republic Engineered Steels Inc. in Massillon.

"The significant increase in direct steel exports -- coupled with the already strong level of indirect steel exports in the form of parts and finished products -- serve notice that the Buckeye State is a major player in the global marketplace.

"The level of activity steel showed in 1995 demonstrates our continued commitment to Ohio’s economy and, hopefully, bodes well for the future."

The Ohio Steel Data Report covers statistics from the Ohio facilities of the Steel Commission’s nine steel company members, accounting for more than 95 percent of the steel produced in Ohio.

Other highlights of the report, compiled for the Steel Commission by Youngstown State University’s Center for Urban Studies:

• - State and local taxes rose 9 percent, reaching nearly $92 million.
  
  
• - Payroll rose 5.3 percent, to nearly $1.42 billion.
  
  
• - Average employment rose 0.6 percent, to 29,294 employees.
  
  
• - Healthcare spending increased 0.43 percent, to $264.1 million.

The Ohio Steel Commission is a public-private partnership to strengthen ties among the steel industry, the state of Ohio and its citizens. The Commission’s member organizations are AK Steel Corp., Armco Inc., CSC Ltd., LTV Steel Co., Republic Engineered Steels, Inc., The Timken Co., USS/KOBE Steel Co., WCI Steel, Inc., Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., the United Steelworkers of America, the Ohio Legislature, the Ohio Department of Development, The Ohio State University and Youngstown State University.