The U.S. Army and Metallus kickoff HF-1 steel capacity expansion effort with new manufacturing assets in Ohio

CANTON, OH –The U.S. Army and Metallus Inc. commissioned several new, state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing assets at the company’s facilities in Canton, Ohio. The newly commissioned assets include a bloom reheat furnace, roller furnace, and supporting equipment. The new assets will increase Metallus’ production capacity/volume of High Fragmentation (HF-1) Steel.

Hf-1 Steel is a specially formulated steel alloy that is used in artillery metal parts serving as the primary component of large-caliber artillery and mortar projectiles such as the 155mm M795 and M1128 Artillery Projectiles.

Metallus’ new production capacity will further strengthen the domestic munitions supply chain. At full operational capacity, the plant will be able to produce enough HF-1 Steel to manufacture over 120,000 155mm metal parts monthly. This marks a critical step in expanding artillery ammunition production capacity to further enhance national defense and industrial readiness.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, held on August 26 and hosted by Col. Alicia Johnson, Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems (PM CAS), was attended by Mike Williams, CEO of Metallus, along with other senior Metallus executives and board members, Army leaders, and government officials including U.S. Representative Michael Rulli, representatives from Senators Moreno and Husted, and Matt Dolan, CEO of Ohio economic development organization Team NEO.

PM CAS, an office under the Army’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, along with Army Contracting Command – New Jersey, leveraged an Other Transaction Agreement worth $99 million to fund the three capital investments – Bloom Reheat Furnace, a Roller Hearth Heat Treat Furnace, and upgrades to the IBBI Inline Saw Line.

“Today marks the latest in a massive campaign of strategic investments — valued at nearly $6 billion — within our Defense Industrial Base," said Johnson during the ceremony. "To put that into perspective, the Army’s ammunition enterprise has opened 16 new facilities over the last two years. That is more than we have opened in the last 40 years combined. It is a powerful demonstration of a real, tangible commitment to modernization and capacity growth in the Army and across the wider Department of War.”

Metallus has been in continuous production of HF-1 Steel in the United States supporting the Department since 1993. This makes the Ohio facility a key component of the Army's comprehensive strategy to modernize and increase its capacity to produce artillery munitions.

“The speed and scale of U.S. response to current global conflicts demand increases in production capacity of critical munitions like 155mm artillery. The work done at Metallus and elsewhere is another important step in furthering a credible deterrence with the added industrial capacity to sustain combat operations over time,” said Johnson.

Although focused on HF-1 Steel, this capacity expansion effort also strengthens the production capability for metals utilized in numerous precision rockets, advanced guided missiles, and small-to-large diameter bombs to support broader Department of War munitions requirements, such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, Small Diameter and General-Purpose Bombs.

This expansion of production capacity directly supports the Army's commitment to providing lethal capabilities to the joint warfighter and our international partners at speed and scale.

For more information, please contact the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment & Ammunition Public Affairs Office at[usarmy.pica.jpeo-aa.mbx.jpeo-aa-public-affairs@army.mil](mailto:usarmy.pica.jpeo-aa.mbx.jpeo-aa-public-affairs@army.mil).

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.