Bethlehem's Sparrows Point Division has operations near Baltimore, Md., and in Coatesville and Conshohocken, Pa. In Maryland, about 4,000 people produce four million tons for cast steel slabs for hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, tin mill products, galvanized products, galvanized sheet and Galvalume sheet. Sparrows Point's facilities in Pennsylvania include the facilities of the former Lukens Steel in Coatesville and Conshohocken, Pa., which were acquired by Bethlehem in 1998. The Pennsylvania facilities include an electric furnace shop (capacity of 900,000 tons annually) and plate mills that produce carbon, alloy and clad plate steels, employing 1,700 people.

Principle facilities located in Maryland include a sintering plant, a large blast furnace, two basic oxygen furnaces with an annual raw steel production capability of about four million tons, a two-strand continuous slab caster, a 68-inch hot strip mill, a new cold sheet mill, continuous and batch annealing facilities, a galvanizing line, two Galvalume lines, a 48-inch hot-dip galvanizing line and tin mill facilities.

The Division's Pennsylvania facilities produce carbon, alloy and clad plate steels. These facilities refine more than 450 steel chemistries and process the widest, heaviest and thickest plates in the industry. The facilities also provide finishing and conversion services to key customers. A depot located in Conshohocken for plate products provides fast service for many popular grades and sizes.

Since 1997, Bethlehem Steel has invested more than $600 million to enhance its competitiveness at Sparrows Point. Major projects included the installation of the new 1.7 million ton per year cold sheet facility (2000), the widening of one strand of the continuous caster to produce slabs up to 104-inches wide for rolling into the widest plate products (2000), the installation of a pulverized coal injection system at L blast furnace by DTE Energy Services(1999), upgrading motors and other equipment at the Steckel mill at Conshohocken (1999), establishment of joint ventures for roll grinding, scrap processing and heavy machining (2000), and other enhancements at the basic oxygen furnace and hot strip mill (1999).