Outokumpu plans to unveil recently completed upgrades to its North American quarto plate facility in New Castle, Ind. The upgrades, which Outokumpu announced in 2007, include a new plate finishing line with in-line annealing, shot blasting and leveling. The company also improved the 120-inch-wide line by adding state-of-the-art environmental controls. The Indiana mill is Outokumpu’s only North American location and produces specialized stainless steel plate recognized for its high resistance to corrosion.

The company said the upgrades, which represent an investment of approximately $57.6 million, will allow the mill to improve production efficiencies to better compete in the global stainless steel market. Outokumpu is a market leader in stainless steel quarto plate – individually rolled wide and thick plate. Thick and wide individually rolled quarto plates are used in the energy sector and are employed for manufacturing pressure cylinders, tanks, thick-walled tubes, bridge structures and process equipment.