AK Steel broke ground for its Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio. The ceremony marked the start of construction of the company’s new 135,000 square foot facility, being built on a 16-acre site in the city’s Renaissance District.
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The site is located in the Cincinnati – Dayton growth corridor along Interstate 75. AK Steel said construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by late 2016.
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.
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
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. ■