U. S. Steel Completes Tin Mill Expansion at U. S. Steel Kosice With Startup of Two New Production Lines

United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) announced today that it has completed an expansion of the tin operations at its Slovakian unit, U. S. Steel Kosice (USSK), at a cost in excess of $80 million. With the startup of two new production lines, which include a continuous annealing line and an electrolytic tinning line, USSK's total annual tin production capability has been more than doubled, from 154,000 net tons to 375,000 net tons.

"We are extremely enthusiastic about the launch of these new lines, which will improve USSK's ability to participate in the market for value-added tin products," said Christopher Navetta, president of USSK. "The investment reflects our commitment to our customers and to enhancing our operations in Slovakia, which will help ensure our competitiveness in Central Europe."

The company plans to increase production on the lines gradually over the coming months, and is targeting production from these lines of 16,500 net tons per month by the end of 2003. USSK's added tin capacity will serve customers in the packaging industry, many of whom have already committed to purchasing the planned output for the balance of the year.

"We have received overwhelming support from our customers in launching our new facility," said Joe Scherrbaum, vice president-commercial at USSK. "Our customers are experiencing continued growth, and their demand for high quality tin products has consistently increased. This new facility will help us meet our customers' growing needs for value-added tin products."

Construction of the continuous annealing and electrolytic tin lines began in September 2001 and marks the final phase of USSK's tin mill expansion project. The first phase, which was completed in 2001, included constructing a new double cold-reduced temper mill, upgrading the existing electrolytic tin line, and installing shearing equipment.

SOURCE: United States Steel Corporation

CONTACT: Mike Dixon or John Armstrong, both of United States Steel
Corporation, +1-412-433-6870

Web site: http://www.ussteel.com/

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