Burns Harbor Division Attains ISO/TS 16949 Quality Certification

    BURNS HARBOR, Ind.--Feb. 26, 2002--Bethlehem Steel Corporation announced today that its Burns Harbor, Ind. Division has attained international recognition of certification to ISO/TS 16949, a technical specification for quality systems for automotive suppliers, from the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). The IATF is a global membership of automotive manufacturers and their respective trade associations, which was formed to provide improved quality products to automotive customers worldwide.
    The Burns Harbor Division is the first integrated steelmaking facility in the country to attain certification to this prestigious and rigorous quality systems standard, which was conferred by ABS QE, a third party registrar. TS 16949 is the latest in a series of quality system certifications that the Burns Harbor Division has achieved following previous QS-9000 and ISO 9002 certifications. Last autumn, the Burns Harbor Division also achieved certification to ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management systems, to comply with the requirements of its major automotive customers.
    "This is a significant recognition for the Burns Harbor Division," said Ronald F. Chango, division president. "It's the culmination of years of very hard work by many people here at Burns Harbor. But, most importantly, it's a testament to the high level of commitment Bethlehem Steel continues to demonstrate toward its customers and their needs even in this very difficult business situation in which we are operating," he said.
    The ISO/TS 16949 standard was developed jointly by the IATF and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). IATF members include General Motors, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler, the Automotive Industry Action Group and various European auto manufacturers such as Volkswagen.
    The goal of TS 16949 is the development of quality systems that provide for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain. The expected member benefits include improved supplier product and process quality, additional confidence for global sourcing by automotive companies and a common, consistent quality systems approach for production and service parts suppliers to the automotive industry.
    Bethlehem Steel is dedicated to supplying customers with high quality, cost-effective products. To achieve this, Bethlehem is aggressively engaged in integrating specific customer quality system certification requirements, like TS 16949, into its business processes.
    Bethlehem Steel Corporation is the second largest integrated steel producer in this country. Its Burns Harbor, Ind. Division is America's newest fully integrated steelmaking facility. The Division employs about 5,000 and its principal operations are located along the shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago, Illinois. Its principal products are hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated sheets for the automotive, service center, container, office furniture and appliance markets, and plate products for the construction, machinery and infrastructure markets.