U.S. Steel's Midwest Division in Portage as seen from Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk in November 2016. The park is just across Burns Waterway from the factory. Staff file photo by Doug Ross
PORTAGE — The City Council this week approved a five-year tax abatement for equipment being installed at the U.S. Steel Midwest plant in Portage.
According to the company's statement of benefits application to the city, the $7.76 million in equipment will be used in the revitalization of major units within the plant's tin mill to improve quality and on-time delivery to customers. The total local project will cost just over $64 million.
The construction will employ about 100 people during the project's build. The project itself could result in an additional 311 permanent, full-time jobs.
Of the new jobs, 284 will be union jobs and 27 will be in management. The jobs will range from utility persons, utility techs, operating techs, clerical and analytical technical positions, according to the application.
Meghan Cox, U.S. Steel spokesperson, said she couldn't confirm the information on the application and referred to the company's website for additional information.
"We are pleased by the council’s decision. This will assist in strengthening our operations in Northwest Indiana and revitalizing our product quality and delivery to be globally competitive in serving our customers," Cox said.
Specifically, according to the company's website, the improvements are aimed to improve the structural condition of the plating section on the Midwest tin line and improve strip tracking through the process, improves quality through reduced plating defects and reduces longer-term structural repair costs.
The improvements to the Portage plant are part of the company's $1.2 billion asset revitalization program between 2017 and 2020.
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