AK Steel presents Supplier of the Year awards

Middletown, OH— AK Steel has honored six of its suppliers for outstanding service, value and strategic support of the steelmaker’s business plan. AK Steel’s “2005 Supplier of the Year” awards were announced during the steelmaker’s second annual Key Supplier Meeting, held in West Chester, Ohio on December 2, 2005.

In attendance were representatives of AK Steel’s largest 100 suppliers, based on the dollar value of the commodities and services provided. The suppliers represented over $2 billion in goods and services purchased annually by AK Steel.

Companies honored at the event were:

•Considar, Inc., New York, New York (ferro-alloys).
•ESM II, LP, Amherst, New York (cored wire, caster segment repairs and desulphurization products and services).
•Fleetwood Signode, Addison, Illinois (packaging equipment and steel coil packaging supplies).
•Keywell, LLC, Chicago, Illinois (stainless and titanium scrap).
•Pittsburgh LogisticsSystems, Inc., Rochester, Pennsylvania (transportation logistics services for truck, rail, barge and ocean shipments).
•Tube City, LLC, Glassport, Pennsylvania (carbon steel scrap).

During the meeting, James L. Wainscott, president and CEO of AK Steel, emphasized the importance of the steelmaker and its suppliers working together to sharpen the focus on cost reduction as AK Steel strives to reduce costs and improve its competitiveness.