| Ispat Inland Inc. |
3210 Watling Street,
East Chicago,
IL
46312 |
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www.inland.com
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(219) 399-1200
Fax: (219) 399-5544
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Inland Steel Industries has grown along with America, providing the metals that built its infrastructure. The company became the sixth-largest integrated steelmaker in the U.S. before being aqcuired by Ispat for $1.43 billion in 1998. Inland Steel was founded during the depression of 1893, when eight entrepreneurs purchased 40 freight cars of used steelmaking equipment from bankrupt Chicago Steel. In 1901, Inland Steel seized upon the Lake Michigan Land Company's offer of 50 Indiana acres to any company that would build an open-hearth steel mill there. The company bought the Laura Ore iron mine in Minnesota in 1906, and expanded rapidly a decade later as WWI increased the demand for steel. Steady growth turned the company into a billion-dollar company in 1966. Then came the 1980s, when the American steel industry collapsed. Inland Steel adjusted by to the business slump by separating its profitable steel distribution division (which became Ryerson-Tull) from steel manufacturing, and pursuing international partnerships.
Inland Steel Industries was back on the road again after further shake-ups in the 1990s. While the company successfully created an international arm, Inland International, in 1994, was plagued by domestic troubles. In 1996, CEO Maurice Nelson was forced to resign after quality-control problems. Additionally, Inland Steel was mired in negotiations with its unionized labor until 1996, when the company and union accepted binding arbitration. Presently, cost and labor-force reduction have improved Inland's manufacturing process and reduced quality-control slip-ups, though providing severance packages for the 450 eliminated workers have cut into profits.
The 1998 acquisition by Ispat made Ispat Inland part of the world's seventh-largest steel company. CEO Robert Darnall's retirement in early 2000 left the company with Johannes Sittard acting as temporary president and CEO.
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Inland Steel recently laid off 450 employees as part of its restructuring, mainly support staff and managers. The company is still hiring for operating positions; applicants with engineering degrees are sought after for these slots, and qualified women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.
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"Most of the people working for Inland have been there for years," say Inland employees. "Lots of people have been here 20 years or more." Pay, especially "professional sequence" salaries, is good, with qualified persons earning from $2586 to $7705 per month. "The management is always changing" at Inland; female managers are most common in finance, sales, quality control, and planning, though their representation is increasing in manufacturing operations. Minorities and women are "well-represented" at Inland's corporate headquarters; the company received a 1992 Business Trust Award for its efforts to promote diversity. Vacation time increases with tenure, and Inland also offers flex-time "though I don't know if anyone uses it." Dress is "business casual" at the offices, with some on-site locations requiring "flame-retardant clothing." Insiders are split on the Inland experience; while one longtime employee says Inland is a "fine company worth considering," another says the business is "dirty" and "not future-oriented."
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Human Resources
Commercial Metals;Earle M. Jorgensen;Worthington Industries
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