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HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A new national consortium has been established to come up with ideas that could help the domestic steel industry.
Purdue University Northwest's Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation is partnering with steelmakers, including U.S. Steel, and major suppliers to form the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium. The Times of Northwest Indiana (http://bit.ly/1WXmMqn ) reports the consortium is based at Purdue's Hammond campus.
A panel of consortium members told the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce on Thursday they will work on projects that would make the industry more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
"It's been over a century since the great steel mills were built here, and they probably reached their peak in 1978, when they employed 70,000 people," said Don Babcock, NIPSCO's director of economic development. "We still make 20 to 25 percent of the nation's best steel. But we all recognize the industry is under assault internationally. They want to eat our lunch. We have to do everything we can to maintain this phenomenal business and industry."
Steel maintains a strong presence in Northwest Indiana with three large integrated mills, more than anywhere else in the United States, according to Kelly Dallas, a former a chairperson for the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Midwest Chapter. But Indiana's steel industry has been struggling of late after a record surge of imports and layoffs. Babcock estimates Northwest Indiana would suffer at least a $2 billion blow if the mills were to close.
"That's why we have to ensure it's as sustainable and viable as it possibly can be," he said.
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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com
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