The first steel rolls have begun leaving the line at Bilstein’s Cold Rolled Steel in Kentucky. The German-based company first announced the $130 million facility in 2015 with the purpose of servicing its North American customers.
President and CEO Mark Loik stated in the press release that he expects to ramp up production 35,000 tons of steel annually. Approximately 70 percent of Bilstein customers are in the automotive industry according to Loik’s comments. Bilstein custom rolls steel for customers with highly technical specifications for use in vehicle safety and power train parts.
The plant is presently operating with 40 employees but may expand to 90 employees in the future. The present square footage of 107,000 could triple in size with rail service, and the salesforce will be expanded to grow its customer base, according to Loik.