SSAB held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new heat-treating facility for quenched and tempered steels in Mobile County, Ala. Monday’s ceremony is the official start of construction for the new state-of-the-art facility, which will produce value-added steel plate used throughout the manufacturing and construction sectors. Additional improvements include a vacuum tank degasser and roll-shifting technology. The nearly $300 million investment is expected to add more than 100 jobs. The facility is expected to be brought into commission in the first half of 2012.

Once the facility is fully operational, SSAB will increase its quenched and tempered steel capacity by 200,000 metric tons. The investment is part of a program announced in 2008 to further develop SSAB’s production base in the United States. Located on the site of its existing steel mill in Alabama, the facility is a part of SSAB’s global strategy to maintain its position as a leader in the supply of high-strength steels.