Inland Metal history

The expansion plan was completed in 1966 and helped Inland to lower costs, improve product quality, and increase capacity.

Block was well known, as reported in Time magazine, November 3, 1967, for strengthening "Inland's reputation as a civic-minded company" by among other things supporting a fair-employment law in Illinois as well as a redevelopment project for East Chicago.

* 1968 - MartINsite, ultra-high strength steel, introduced at Inland.

* 1969 - Inland Steel's Chicago Heights plant sold.

* 1970 - Inland's electric furnace shop begins production of bar steels.

With demand showing no evidence of slowing, Inland, under Chairman Frederick G. Jaicks, who had replaced Phillip D. Block Jr. in 1971, made plans for a $2 billion expansion, which it planned to finance from strong earnings and outside financing.

* 1972 - Inland completes first continuous slab caster.

* 1973 - 200th millionth ton of steel produced at Indiana Harbor Works.

After a tight period in the previous two years, demand for steel increased dramatically in 1974, and Inland's sales climbed to $2.5 billion.

Labor strikes, such as that which “deprived workers of a living and dampened Calumet Region business,” took place at Federated Metals until at least 1978.

* 1982 - Inland has $119 million loss, its first deficit since Great

In order to survive in a depressed industry, Inland--under Chairman Frank Luerssen, who took over in 1983--cut costs by shutting down unprofitable operations and divesting itself of certain assets.

* 1985 - Inland restructures to reduce workforce and end non-essential

While producing less steel, Inland began to shift its efforts into more profitable areas such as its highly successful steel-distribution operations which it sought to expand by acquiring J.M. Tull Metals Company, a large metal-products maker, processor, and distributor, in 1986.

* 1987 - Inland pours its 300-millionth ton of steel.

* 1988 - Net income reaches a record $262 million.

Another joint venture with Nippon Steel, I/N Kote, was started in 1989 to construct and operate two steel-galvanizing lines adjacent to the I/N Tek facility.

* 1990 - I/N Tek begins operation.

In 1993 a private group of investors was formed.

By 1994, the steel industry began to recover.

In 1995, a joint venture was created with China's Baoshan Iron and Steel, called Ryerson de China; and another to deal with exports was formed in Hong Kong with two partners: South African Macsteel and Canada's Federal Industries.

In 1996, a partnership was formed in India between Inland Steel Industries and Tata Iron and Steel Co. of Numbai, called Tata-Ryerson, which provided industrial materials management services to Indian customers.

In 1998, it was purchased by Ispat International, a large corporation based in the Netherlands that specialized in acquiring underperforming companies to make them more profitable.

Operating under a new name, Ispat Inland Inc., the company cut almost one-fifth of its workforce by 2002, to 7,800 employees.