Steel Republic Steel: Company Celebrates 125 Years of SBQ Excellence

CANTON, Ohio, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Invigorated with a fresh but familiar identity and powered by the skills of 2,000 employees, Republic Steel is launching the next 125 years of its long history of leadership in special bar quality steel manufacturing.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110920/CL71976LOGO)

Most recently known as Republic Engineered Products, Inc., Republic Steel today announced it is honoring its legacy of leadership and innovation by returning to the name that over the past 125 years grew to be synonymous with SBQ.

"Yes, we do make highly engineered products, but the name 'Republic Steel' ultimately defines our company, our people and our steel," said President and CEO Jaime Vigil. "The more we thought about our identity, the more it became apparent that Republic Steel is really the best name we can have. It's our brand, and it stands for SBQ. Pure and simple."

Vigil cited the company's 125 years of continuous service to loyal customers with a workforce that has historically been at the Pinnacle of SBQ leadership.

"Republic is the undisputed leader in SBQ. We produced the first alloy heat in the world in 1907, making us the inventor of SBQ. We created the product category and even coined the term. We are 2,000 people strong, making and selling more SBQ than any other company. We're really celebrating where it all began for SBQ," Vigil said.

Customers have already embraced the change back to the Republic Steel identity, he said, and employees are supercharged about the opportunity to forge into the next 125 years with the know-how that has become the Republic Steel hallmark.

"Our customers don't want 'ordinary' steel and we don't make ordinary steel," Vigil said. "We engineer SBQ products in a custom manner, melting, refining and finishing to customers' specifications. That's what they expect and that's what we deliver.

Republic maintains a debt-free position. Republic will continue to look for opportunities to bring more capacity on line and enhance processing capabilities in order to maintain its SBQ leadership position.

About Republic Steel

Republic Steel (formerly Republic Engineered Products, Inc.) is North America's leading supplier of special bar quality (SBQ) steel, a highly engineered product used in axles, drive trains, suspensions, and other critical components of automobiles, off-highway vehicles, and industrial equipment. Republic's products include hot-rolled steel bars, cold-finished steel bars, and bottom-poured ingots. With headquarters in Canton, Ohio, and steelmaking capabilities in Canton and Lorain, Ohio, the company operates value-added rolling and finishing facilities in Canton, Lorain, and Massillon, Ohio; Lackawanna, N.Y.; Gary, Ind.; and Hamilton, Ontario. Republic employs approximately 2,000 people.

SOURCE Republic Steel