HWI Announces Investments in US Steel Industry

Pittsburgh, PA – May 16, 2017 – At Booth #2829 at AISTech, in Nashville, Tennessee, May 8-11, 2017, U.S.-based HarbisonWalker International (HWI) — one of the largest suppliers of refractory products and services to the U.S. iron and steel industry — reinforced how it is continuing to invest in its people, processes, and products in support of its steel industry customers across the U.S.

Manufacturing Enhancements
During 2016, HWI invested $1.5 million in its White Cloud, Michigan facility to further improve manufacturing performance. The White Cloud facility manufactures refractory products primarily for the steel industry. Improvements included integration of new technologies to more effectively handle raw materials. In addition, HWI has been aggressively instituting numerous internal initiatives across all its locations that are further increasing the company’s market competitiveness, culture of accountability and commitment to a safe workplace.

HWI also announced in March 2017 that it is investing $30 million to construct a new, state-of-the-art monolithic refractories manufacturing facility that will be operational by early 2018. It will be located in South Point, Ohio, strategically located along the Ohio River Valley in the northern Kentucky / southern Ohio region of the United States. The new facility will be one of the most technologically advanced refractories plants to be built in the U.S.

The plant will feature new state-of-the-art automation and technology, and will utilize new lean techniques throughout its operations to maximize material flow efficiency and production. It will employ highly-trained and highly-skilled technicians and staff in a team-based environment. In addition, the facility will introduce advanced packaging technologies that are new to the North American market.

“We are a U.S.-based company and have a strong U.S.-based manufacturing network. We have already made significant investments in individual plants, in locations such as South Shore, Kentucky and White Cloud, Michigan, as part of our plans to improve our manufacturing performance across the company. This new plant, with its state-of-the-art technological advancements, is the next step in our strategy to improve performance and better meet the needs of our customers,” said Douglas Hall, Senior Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain, HarbisonWalker International.

HarbisonWalker International is one of the largest domestic manufacturers of refractories for the U.S. iron and steel industry. As the inventors of COMANCHE®, the company revolutionized ladle refractory practices and has created one of the refractory industry’s widest, deepest lines of solutions. HWI provides around-the-clock support from the largest service team in the US, and offers dedicated iron and steel application specialists who provide highly customized solutions.

Learn more about HWI solutions for the iron and steel industry: http://harbisonwalker.staging.wpengine.com/industries/iron-steel/.