Jun 22 2015
AK Steel today broke ground for its world-class Research and Innovation Center at a ceremony held in Middletown, Ohio. The ceremony marked the start of construction of the company's new 135,000 square foot facility, which is being built on a 16-acre site in the city's Renaissance District. The site is located in the Cincinnati – Dayton growth corridor along Interstate 75.
James L. Wainscott, AK Steel's Chairman, President and CEO with Eric Peterson, Vice President of Research and Innovation at AK Steel and Middletown, Ohio Mayor, Larry Mulligan Jr. were joined by AK Steel's Executive Officers for the groundbreaking of a new world-class Research and Innovation Center.
AK Steel said that the $36 million facility will be customer-focused, providing advanced technical support to the company's valued customers, as well as developing new and improved steel products for a number of markets.
"Today's groundbreaking ceremony represents another important milestone in AK Steel's long history of innovation in steelmaking technology," said James L. Wainscott, Chairman, President and CEO of AK Steel. "Once completed, our new state-of-the-art Research and Innovation Center will provide our talented researchers, scientists and engineers with the tools they need to accelerate development of future game-changing products and processes."
Mr. Wainscott added, "Throughout our company's rich history, it has been the commitment to research that has made us a leader in innovation. While our current research facility in Middletown has served us well for many years, it is time for a new, world-class facility to meet the needs and demands of our business in the 21st century."
The new facility will be home to the company's 76 researchers, scientists and engineers who will perform leading-edge research, applications engineering, advanced engineering, product development, and customer technical services. The company also expects to add 15 new full-time research positions.
Building Features
The new building will feature some of AK Steel's stainless steel products as part of the exterior design. Other features of the new facility will include: state-of-the-art steel research and testing equipment and analytical tools; a Customer Experience lobby showcasing AK Steel's products and technologies, as well as the company's heritage of steelmaking; a tiered auditorium for technical conferences; and a Technical Information Center.
Various types of new research equipment will be incorporated into the building for improved testing, design and modeling of new technologies and products, including the development of Next-Generation Advanced High Strength Steels for the automotive industry.
The facility will also house pilot lines that simulate the company's steel manufacturing operations, ranging from melting and casting, to hot- and cold-rolling, to final finishing. The pilot lines will be used for enhancing existing products and experimentation for new and improved products. The pilot line section will include a high bay area with a mezzanine from which customers may view the pilot processes.
The project has received the strong support and cooperation of the State of Ohio, City of Middletown, Warren County Port Authority, JobsOhio, and REDI (Regional Economic Development Initiative) Cincinnati.
The project developer and builder is Al Neyer, LLC, Cincinnati; project architect is Neyer Architects, Inc., Cincinnati; and, BHDP Architecture, Cincinnati, is designing the interior labs and office areas.
AK Steel said construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by late 2016. The new Research and Innovation Center will replace the company's existing research facility that is located at another site in Middletown. AK Steel's largest steel manufacturing plant is also in Middletown, and the company's corporate headquarters is in nearby West Chester, Ohio, a northern suburb of Cincinnati.