Swedish steel company SSAB held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for its new heat treating facility for quenched and tempered steels in Mobile County, Alabama. SSAb has invested nearly $300 million for the heat treating facility in order to expand its Alabama operations.
The groundbreaking ceremony is the official start of construction for the new heat treating facility, which will produce value-added steel plate used throughout the manufacturing and construction sectors. The investment is expected to add more than 100 high quality jobs.
"SSAB is focused on meeting our customers' growing demand for quenched and tempered steels. With this new heat treating line, we are well-positioned for broad expansion particularly for niche steel grade products," said Olof Faxander, President and CEO SSAB.
"Once this facility is fully operational, we will increase our quenched and tempered steel capacity by 200,000 metric tons. We are proud to have the opportunity to build this facility with the support of team members throughout SSAB and the community," said David Britten, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Americas.
The new facility is expected to be brought into commission in the first half of 2012.