AK Steel invests $8.5 mil to expand tube production

AK Steel has announced that its subsidiary AK Tube LLC has chosen its Walbridge, Ohio plant as the recipient of a previously announced $8.5 million capital investment to expand production capacity. With the added capacity, Middletown, Ohio-based AK Tube will be able to produce large diameter stainless steel tubing which will help heavy-duty truck manufacturers meet new diesel emission standards. The capital investment will include a resistance-weld tube mill at the Walbridge and related equipment, the installation of which is slated for completion at the end of July. Production will begin in the third quarter. AK has also approved a capital investment of $14 million for the second phase of a project to increase electrical sheet steel capacity, as the company announced Wednesday. The funds will be used to upgrading existing production equipment at the company's Butler, Pennsylvania plant.