During a ceremony attended by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and other elected officials, chief executive officer Lourenco Goncalves said the vertical annealing will supply premium stainless steel for high-end automotive and critical appliance applications while taking market share from imports. 

“We are now producing in Ohio something that used to be produced in Finland, and because it could not come straight from Finland to the United States, (imported material) would do a pit stop in Mexico and then come through the back door. And that's what we are stopping by doing (this investment),” Goncalves said. 

Goncalves also touted the line’s 100% hydrogen atmosphere, which eliminates the need for conventional acid-based processing. The line also includes a hydrogen recovery unit to recycle hydrogen and use a 50-50 mix of new and used hydrogen in the process.

DeWine noted that that the investment advances Ohio’s long and proud manufacturing tradition. Whirlpool, Honda and other major manufacturers will convert steel processed on the line to components and products such automotive stainless trim, automotive exhaust system, sinks, pipe and tube, knife blades, aerospace components, and surgical equipment, he said. 

Moreover, the new equipment was almost entirely manufactured in the U.S. and key project equipment suppliers were all Ohio based, DeWine said. 

“So that’s even more reason for us to celebrate,” DeWine said. “One of the lessons that we learned during the pandemic is that we have to make it here. We have to make the essential things here.” 

Goncalves also said Cleveland-Cliffs intends to continue making steel in Ohio, especially at Middletown. 

“We’re going to hear about Middletown for decades to come. We have a long-term plan for Middletown, Ohio. And Middletown is the benchmark in terms of supplying automotive steel in this country. We're going to continue to improve it. We're going to continue to make it better.”