This steelmaking plant was originally part of the Ford Motor Company, which created an integrated manufacturing complex to produce all major vehicle components at one large facility called The Rouge. In 1989, Ford’s steel assets were divested and became known as Rouge Industries with the steel operations trading as Rouge Steel Company in Dearborn, Mich., outside of Detroit.
Severstal Dearborn occupies the portion of the Rouge Complex south of the road connecting Gates 4 and 10.
Severstal North America was formed when Severstal purchased the bankrupt Rouge Steel. After Severstal North America purchased other steel making facilities, this plant was renamed Severstal Dearborn.
Today, Severstal Dearborn, a fully integrated plant located close to its consuming markets, remains a critical and valued supplier to the automotive industry while expanding to serve other markets as well. Recent major capital expenditures include a new, state-of-the-art blast furnace that began operation in 2007. In the near future, Severstal Dearborn will complete the construction of a continuous linked pickle tandem cold mill (PLTCM) and a hot-dip galvanizing line.
Per the Detroit Free Press article of July 14, 2011, Severstal Dearborn will be installing a new annealing line in the "W" section of their existing cold mill.
Facilities
1 blast furnace
2 basic oxygen furnaces
2 casters
1 hot strip mill
1 cold mill
Contents |
3 coating lines
Indicative annual capacity Hot rolled sheet – 3.6 million metric tones (2007) Cold rolled sheet – 1.4 million metric tones (2007) Galvanized sheet – 0.8 million metric tones (2007)
Products
Severstal Dearborn produces high quality flat-rolled products, including hot rolled band and hot rolled processed sheet, cold rolled sheet, hot dipped galvanized sheet, electro galvanized sheet, and aluminum coated boron and other advanced steels.
Hot Rolled Products
Severstal Dearborn’s 68 in. hot strip mill has an annual throughput of 3.8 million tons (3.5 million metric tons). The hot strip mill can roll to a minimum gauge of .050 in. through .525 in. (1.27 mm through 13.30 mm) in widths from 30 in. to 61 in. (762 mm to 1,549 mm). The recently modernized slab reheat furnaces optimize Severstal Dearborn’s heating efficiency and quality, reduce natural gas consumption and increase yield.
Cold Rolled Products
The Severstal Dearborn's cold mill produces 1.8 million tons (1.6 million metric tons) of steel in thicknesses from 0.014 in. through 0.110 in. (0.36 mm through 2.79 mm) with widths form 28 in. to 61 in. (711 mm to 1,549 mm). A cornerstone of Severstal Dearborn’s modernization will be the most sophisticated pickle tandem cold mill (PLTCM) in the world. The PLTCM will roll to a minimum gauge of 0.012 in. (0.30 mm) and final width of up to 72 in. (1,850 mm) with product flatness requirements of less than 15 I-units.
Coated Products
Severstal Dearborn’s coating capabilities include one of the largest electrogalvanizing lines and state-of-the-art hot-dipped galvanizing capabilities. Also part of the Dearborn modernization will be a new hot-dip galvanizing Line which will include state-of-the-art controls for coating thickness and surface texture as well as alloy and phase control. The line will be capable of producing 496,000 tons (450,000 metric tons) of best-in-class exposed hot dipped galvanized (HDGI) and exposed hot dipped galvanneal (HDGA) steel. These capabilities are, and will be used to produce demanding steels such as high-end automotive products, dual-phase, TRIP (Transformation-Induced Plasticity) and high reduction interstitial-free steels for customers in the automotive, appliance, and furniture industries.
Iron Ore comes up the Rouge River (Michigan) on ore freighters and is unloaded. Coils of steel leave the Cold Mill on tractor trailers.
The continuous annealing process will help make this plant one of the most efficient in the US. As of April 2011, work has begun on preparing the "W" section of the existing cold mill for the eventual installation of the continuous annealing line. http://dearborn.patch.com/articles/severstal-steel-continues-to-invest-in-dearborn
The current President of the United Auto Workers union, Bob King, completed an Electrician Apprenticeship at the Rouge Complex early in his Ford career and became an elected official of UAW Local 600. Severstal Dearborn hourly employees belong to UAW Local 600.
Severstal Dearborn has combined the maintenance trades of Welder, Hydraulic Repair, Pipefitter, and Millwright into a single job classification of "Maintenance Technician, Mechanical". Despite promises of training employees to BE multi-trade, over 2 contracts.... the company refuses to provide such training - yet forces tradesmen to work jobs in which they are not adequately trained. So much for the "We Make Steel Safely" slogan.
Likewise, the trades of Electrician and Instrument Repair have been combined in the classification Maintenance Techncian, Electrical - again without the proper training. Severstal Dearborn is currently not operating the apprenticeships that Rouge Steel and Ford Motor Company did. They pushed through the remaining apprentices without finishing the required schooling, nor shop hours.
Currently, Severstal Dearborn is using the standardized test, Ramsay Corporation Electrician B, as the first step in the selection of Maintenance Technicians, Electrical.