During a ceremony that brought together employees and managers, along with Canadian officials, Stelco executive chairman Alan Kestenbaum noted that the facility represents the first production-oriented capital investment at its Hamilton, Ont., works in this century.

"What a proud moment this is for us,” Kestenbaum said, according to The Hamilton Spectator newspaper. 

Stelco completed the project in late June. The project included upgrades to the previously-idled temper mill and new annealing furnaces. With the improvements, the Hamilton works can process 200,000 net tons of cold-rolled steel, allowing it to expand the range of steels it can offer to the automotive, appliance and service center markets.

“These products have historically commanded higher prices than the full-hard, cold-rolled products previously offered by Stelco and represent a continued expansion of product capabilities to enhance tactical flexibility and meet the needs of our customers,” the company has said.