Ohio-based Pro-Tec Coating, a joint venture of US Steel and Kobe Steel, is planning to add an ultra-high-strength, continuous hot-dipped galvanizing line to its facility. The investment is worth $400 million, and is expected to add a capacity of 500,000 tons once production starts in the summer of 2019.
Currently, Pro-Tec has 1.5 million tons of annealing and galvanizing capacity. The company started up a 600,000 ton hot-dipped galvanizing line in 1993, a 400,000 ton galvanizing line in 1998, and a 500,000 ton continuous annealing line in 2013.
The investment meets the need for lighter and stronger steels that help meet stricter corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. The new line will allow it to produce steel with high tensile strength.