AK Steel broke ground Friday for its new Research and Innovation Center at a ceremony held in Middletown, Ohio. The ceremony marked the start of construction of the company’s new 135,000 square foot facility, which is being built on a 16-acre site in the city’s Renaissance District. The site is located in the Cincinnati – Dayton growth corridor along Interstate 75.
The new facility will be home to the company’s 76 researchers, scientists and engineers who will perform leading-edge research, applications engineering, advanced engineering, product development, and customer technical services. The company also expects to add 15 new full-time research positions.
Various types of new research equipment will be incorporated into the building for improved testing, design and modeling of new technologies and products, including the development of Next-Generation Advanced High Strength Steels for the automotive industry.
The facility will also house pilot lines that simulate the company’s steel manufacturing operations, ranging from melting and casting, to hot- and cold-rolling, to final finishing. The pilot lines will be used for enhancing existing products and experimentation for new and improved products. The pilot line section will include a high bay area with a mezzanine from which customers may view the pilot processes.