OHIO STEEL PRODUCTION, SHIPMENTS RISE IN FIRST QUARTER

COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 29, 1998) –  First-quarter steel production in Ohio climbed 18 percent over levels of last year's first quarter, while steel shipments increased 17 percent, according to a report by the Ohio Steel Council.

The Council's first-quarter Ohio Steel Data Report shows that total production by 10 Ohio primary steel producers was nearly 4.5 million tons in the first three months of 1998, compared to about 3.8 million tons a year earlier.

Steel shipments increased to almost 4.2 million tons, from slightly less than 3.6 million tons in the year-ago period.

In the first quarter of 1998, Ohio steel producers spent in excess of $89 million on capital investments, an increase of 7 percent over the $83.6 million spent in the corresponding 1997 period.

"These numbers reflect the strength of Ohio's steel industry and serve notice that the stage is set for a strong showing in 1998," said Harold V. Kelly, co-chairman of the Steel Council and executive vice president at Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. in Massillon.

"By continuing to introduce new steelmaking technologies and to develop new products, Ohio steel producers are enhancing their competitiveness in the global marketplace and are ensuring the industry's future vitality in the Buckeye State."

The 1998 first-quarter report includes for the first time data from North Star Steel Ohio, a Youngstown-based steelmaker and seamless pipe producer that joined the Council this year. Its parent company is involved in the joint-venture North Star BHP Steel Co. in Delta, whose data is not part of the Council report.

In the year-ago quarter, steel production and shipments were negatively affected by the United Steelworkers of America strike that idled production at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., which operates Ohio plants.

The Ohio Steel Data Report, compiled for the Steel Council by Youngstown State University's Center for Urban Studies, covers statistics from the Ohio facilities of the Council's steel-producing members. These companies account for approximately 90 percent of the steel produced in Ohio.

The Ohio Steel Council, appointed in 1991 by Gov. George V. Voinovich, is a public-private partnership designed to strengthen ties among the steel industry, the state of Ohio and its citizens. The Council's member organizations are AK Steel Corp., Armco Inc. (associate member), CSC Ltd., LTV Steel Co., Lukens Steel (associate member), North Star Steel Ohio, Republic Engineered Steels, Inc., The Timken Company, USS/KOBE Steel Co., WCI Steel, Inc., Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., the United Steelworkers of America, the Ohio Legislature, Ohio Department of Development, The Ohio State University and Youngstown State University.