Electric Reshuffle

The biggest electric steel plant ever to be built in the U.S. was last week proposed by OPM. With an annual capacity of 504,000 tons, the plant (to cost about $8,000,000) will be built with Government money in South Chicago, operated by Republic Steel Corp. It will be ready for part-time operations in eight months.

With this addition, total U.S. electric steel capacity will be 3,900,000 tons, 50% more than at year's beginning. The clean heat of an electric furnace produces tough, highly resilient steels for bullet-resistant armor plate, shells and gun barrels. Practically all U.S. electric steel now produced goes directly into arms.

The new plant also completes a reshuffle of the electric steel lineup. Tom Girdler's Republic is now far & away the biggest producer, with 1,322,000 tons capacity on hand or on order. First for many years, Timken Roller Bearing now runs a poor second with 356,000 tons. Third is specialty steelmaker Crucible with 261,000 tons.

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