Republic Steel's Canton Facility Experiences Tranformer Failure
08/06/2013 - Republic Steel experienced a failure at the transformer that supplies power to the #7 furnace in its Canton, Ohio, melt shop on 2 August 2013. This failure is being investigated and will result in an outage of its #7 back-up furnace lasting between two and eight weeks.
As a result, the company is ramping up production from its #9 electric furnace which was updated in late 2012 during a US$15 million capital upgrade that included the installation of an eccentric bottom tapping (EBT) configuration.
"We are doing everything in our power to implement the needed repairs to minimize any impact on our customers," stated Jaime Vigil, president and CEO.
Republic Steel is a North American supplier of special bar quality (SBQ) steel, a highly engineered product used in axles, drive trains, suspensions and other critical components of automobiles, off-highway vehicles, and industrial equipment. Republic's products include hot rolled steel bars, cold finished steel bars, and bottom-poured ingots. With headquarters in Canton, Ohio, and steelmaking capabilities in Canton and Lorain, Ohio, the company operates value-added rolling and finishing facilities in Canton, Lorain, and Massillon, Ohio; Lackawanna, N.Y.; Gary, Ind.; and Hamilton, Ontario. Republic employs approximately 2,200 people.
