AK Steel's Rockport Works Earns Ford Q1 Award

    MIDDLETOWN, Ohio, March 5 AK Steel said today
that its Rockport, Indiana steel finishing facility has earned Ford Motor
Company's Q1 Quality Certification Award.  In 1995 AK Steel became the first
major steel company supplying Ford Body and Assembly operations to have all of
its plants earn the Q1 award.

    "Every Rockport Works employee had a hand in earning this prestigious
award," said Richard M. Wardrop, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of
AK Steel.  "It is even more impressive knowing that most of our production
technicians at Rockport Works were stepping into a steel mill for the first
time when they were hired three years ago.  That is quite a tribute to their
skills and dedication, and also to the outstanding training efforts put forth
by the veterans of AK Steel," he said.

    In notifying Rockport Works general manager Eric Petersen of the award,
Ford quality and purchasing representatives Nick Warrick and Kris Pinnow
wrote, "We commend AK Steel Rockport on this achievement and look forward to
seeing the results of your efforts in the quality of the vehicles we produce."

    AK Steel's Rockport Works was constructed beginning in January of 1997 and
began coated steel shipments three months ahead of schedule in June of 1998.
The plant is considered to be the most technologically advanced steel
finishing facility in the world.  The plant's high-tech equipment includes
robotic cranes and automatic guided vehicles that transport 60-ton steel coils
between operations without human intervention.

    The plant's 60,000 horsepower cold mill rolls both carbon and stainless
steel, and has routinely rolled carbon steels at a rate of more than 600 tons
per hour, productivity that exceeds many hot rolling operations.  The coating
line, designed to produce 800,000 tons per year, produced 875,000 tons in
2000.  The plant's collective computer power is equivalent to about 500 top-
line personal computers.  More than 25,000 miles of wire and cable connect
various power, data, control and communication devices in the 1.8 million-
square-foot plant.  About 350 AK Steel employees operate the plant.