An Ohio steel maker is expanding its operation with an electric arc furnace used to make steel from scrap, Cleveland.com reports. Republic Steel is investing $85.2 million to upgrade its Lorain, OH operation. The expansion, which was announced by Ohio Gov. John Kasich in Lorain, is expected to add 449 new jobs and retain 489 jobs at the plant west of Cleveland.
The electric furnace will return the plant to steel making. Republic shut down the blast furnace in Lorain in 2008, ending 700 jobs there. Many of those workers took positions at the company’s plant in Canton.
Since 2008, Republic has shipped steel from Canton to Lorain where workers convert the raw steel billets into round bars. With the new arc furnace, the plant will make those billets next to the bar-rolling operations as it has traditionally done for more than 100 years.
