According to the report, AK Steel halted the operation of its Mansfield stainless steel mill in Ohio on April 4th, which was mainly manufacturing for electric arc furnace (EAF) flat-rolled stainless steel products. Although the auto industry was closed down due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Mansfield’s operation would meet the demand of automotive clients.

The factory was equipped with 2 EAFs and a thin slab continuous caster, which was focusing on producing stainless steel 400 series products and martensitic grades for the automotive industry.

The plant’s annual capacity of the slab caster was around 751,000 short tons and the figure for the hot strip was approximately 551,000 short tons.