OHIO STEEL PRODUCTION DROPS, EXPORTS RISE

COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 23, 1997) –  First-quarter steel production in Ohio declined 11 percent over levels of last year's first quarter, while steel exports increased 38 percent, according to a report by the Ohio Steel Council.

The Council's first-quarter Ohio Steel Data report shows that total production by the state's nine primary steel producers reached nearly 3.8 million tons in the first three months of 1997, compared to about 4.3 million tons a year earlier.

Steel shipments fell 5 percent, from approximately 3.7 million tons in the first quarter of 1996 to nearly 3.6 million tons in this year's period.

The drop in production and shipments was largely the result of a strike that has idled production at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., which operates four Ohio plants.

Exports from Ohio facilities increased from 42,565 tons to 58,914 tons amid strong foreign demand for domestic steel, while capital investment spending increased 9 percent, from $76.9 million in first-quarter 1996 to $83.5 million in the first three months of 1997.

"Despite the decline in production and shipments, Ohio steel made significant investment in its future during the first quarter, signaling its intent to be a strong domestic market influence as well as an increasing exporter to world markets," said Harold V. Kelly, co-chairman of the Steel Council and executive vice president and general counsel at Republic Engineered Steels, Inc. in Massillon.

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 nine steel company members. These companies account for more than 90 percent of the steel produced in Ohio.

The Ohio Steel Council (formerly the Ohio Steel Commission), appointed in 1991 by Ohio 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 Steel Council is comprised of AK Steel Corp., Armco Inc., CSC Ltd., LTV Steel Co., Lukens Inc. (associate member), Republic Engineered Steels, Inc., The Timken Company, USS/KOBE Steel Company, 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.