For Immediate Release

Public Relations Division
Public Affairs Department
1170 Eighth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
(610) 694-3711 - Phone
(610) 694-1509 - Fax

BETHLEHEM, Pa., December 21, 1995 -- Bethlehem Structural Products Corporation resumed operations last week at its modernized combination rolling mill following $26 million in enhancements to the facility.

Completed over the past few months, the enhancements will improve productivity, throughput and quality. Extensive new computer systems help expedite orders by connecting all phases of the operation, from order entry through product shipment. Product quality benefits from the utilization of continuously cast steel from Bethlehem Steel's Pennsylvania Steel Technologies subsidiary as well as from improvements to the cooling bed and rotary straighteners to produce a more consistent product.

"We are entering a new era for the mill, which has been a national leader in the development of innovative products, particularly for our piling customers. These enhancements will help Bethlehem Structural Products Corporation build on more than 90 years of supplying high-quality products to help shape America," said Tim Lewis, president of Bethlehem Structural Products Corporation, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

The mill, termed "combination" for the wide variety of structural sections that it rolls, produces piling, special sections, car-building sections and wide-flange structural shapes up to 24 inches deep. Principal markets served include construction, rail transportation, shipbuilding, truck manufacturing, and machinery and industrial equipment.

The steel being rolled in the combination mill is produced primarily in Pennsylvania Steel Technologies' new 150-ton DC electric arc furnace and continuous bloom caster in Steelton, Pa. The semifinished steel is transported by rail to BSPC where it is placed in a new storage facility and separated by type and metallurgical grade. When needed, steel is moved to the entry end of the combination mill complex on pallet carriers specifically designed for semifinished steel transport. All steel is rolled to customer specification, and improvements in computer systems help identify the right steel for the appropriate rolling schedule.

Bethlehem Structural Products Corporation continues to employ about 1,300 people in the structural and coke businesses. In early January, BSPC will occupy its new one-story office adjacent to the combination mill. "We believe we will improve communications and therefore service to our customers by locating all employees who are involved with the structural business close to the mill," said Mr. Lewis. In 1996, BSPC's mailing address will be 1805 E. Fourth Street, Bethlehem, PA 18016.

Also located on the same southside Bethlehem complex are BethForge, a leading supplier of heavy forged products; CENTEC, which makes spun cast iron rolls for the metalworking industry, and the Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England Railroad. In addition, Bethlehem Steel maintains its services division and corporate offices in the same city.

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