Mark Gordon, Butler Works general manager

BUTLER TWP — There is a new era for AK Steel, which has a plant in the township.

Roger Newport, a 31-year-employee of AK Steel, was promoted from chief financial officer to chief executive officer at the beginning of 2016.

“While it is early in my new role, I am excited about the opportunity to, one, lead our great company, two, work with terrific employees throughout our operations and, three, work with national and local leaders to build our business and the communities where we work and live,” Newport said in a news release.

Butler Works in the township has 1,400 employees out of the company's 8,500 total.

The company makes electrical steels, stainless steels and carbon slabs. The electrical steels produced at Butler Works include the only high-permeability electrical steel made in the United States, which is the patented TRAN-COR H used in power transformers.

Butler's stainless steels include chrome grades used in applications that must withstand corrosive conditions and extreme heat including transportation products, appliances, food processing and restaurant equipment and industrial equipment.

The chrome nickel grades of stainless steels are designed for applications that require a high degree of durability, strength and corrosion resistance including scissors, kitchen utensils, cutlery and surgical instruments.

Meanwhile, Butler's carbon slabs are created in a conventional, thick continuous caster. Butler Works is capable of producing ultralow sulfur steel, which is beneficial for carbon steel applications.

The work is done on 1,300 acres and includes a 175-ton electric arc furnace, the world's largest Argon-Oxygen Decarburization unit with a 175-ton capacity, and a twin station ladle metallurgy furnace.

The workers start making electric steel by heating up various types of scrap steel in the electric arc furnace, which takes solid steel into a liquid metal and then through the castor.That results in a rectangular slab, which goes through a hot mill, where the slab is reheated and reduced in thickness to become a hot rolled coil. The coils are put through a series of specific finishing and cleaning processes to make the steel conductive for use in transformers and other electrical purposes.Also during those processes, thickness is reduced and insulating coatings are added to improve specific electrical properties needed for the product. Finally, the coils are packaged as they are or trimmed to meet the needs of a given customer.Stainless steel coils also go through the hot mill process. Then, a different series of finishing and heating processes are used to give it the mechanical properties of the certain stainless needed. This includes uses varying from an auto exhaust system to the stainless steel doors of a refrigerator.In leading the company, Newport has created a slogan to promote a positive attitude.“From an organization standpoint we are growing the culture of 'We Can ... and we Will.' This addresses the current challenges that we face in the steel industry, and our focus of moving the company forward.“The message to all employees is, if we can achieve it, we will achieve it, and I believe that collectively the team will accomplish great things in the future.“To this end, we just launched our Great Ideas program. We believe that our employees are an invaluable resource of finding ways to improve AK Steel. I know our team will continue to step up ... and I look forward to putting their ideas into actions.”

While Newport is new leading the company, AK Steel has been around for a long time, albeit under different names.It started with the American Rolling Mill Co., which was established in 1899 in Middletown, Ohio. The company was a pioneer in the steel industry.It went from simply making slabs of steel to a milling process that made steel thinner and easier to use in a rolled fashion that is called “coils.”However, it wasn't until 1908 that Butler Works, which is a branch of AK Steel, began as the Forged Steel Wheel Co. That company became the Columbia Steel Co, in 1920, which became Armco in 1927, and was acquired by the AK Steel Corp. in 1999.Mark Gordon, Butler Works general manager, is guiding Butler Works for success.“Not only are we focused on being a good employer and producing outstanding products,” he said. “But we are also very proud to call Butler home.”

Roger NewportAK Steel CEO

A worker oversees production in the hot mil control room at the AK Steel plant in Butler Township. The company makes electrical steels, stainless steels and carbon slabs.

A worker oversees production in the hot mill control room at the AK Steel plant in Butler Township. The company makes electrical steels, stainless steels and carbon slabs.