Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is gone, replaced with Essar Steel Algoma to reflect the company's purchase by Essar Group of India for $1.82 billion in June 2007.

Chatham Steel Corp. is looking to build its first service center outside the South with plans to open a facility in southern Ohio during the first half of 2009.

Steel Warehouse of South Bend, Ind., has filled a geographical gap in its primary Midwest and mid-South market with the purchase of steel processing and distribution center Chesterfield Steel Sales in Euclid, Ohio.

Swedish steel plate producer SSAB has reorganized its North American steel plate operations. SSAB has dropped the Ipsco name from its North American plate making facilities in Mobile, Ala., and Montpelier, Iowa, and also four cut-to-length processing plants in Houston, St. Paul and Scarborough, Ont.

A new 14,000 sq ft warehouse in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., has been opened by stainless steel and high-temperature alloy flat-rolled supplier United Performance Metals of Hamilton, Ohio. The subsidiary of O'Neal Steel was created in January by the combination of Ferguson Metals and AIM International.

Olympic Steel has opened a 62,000 sq ft processing and warehouse plant south of Cleveland to serve as a new northern Ohio satellite steel distribution facility.

JW Aluminum of Mount Holly, S.C., has completed a $10 million melting, casting, rolling, finishing and painting upgrade program at its manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tenn. JW Aluminum bought the facility in May 2007 from siding producer Rollex Aluminum of Elk Grove Village, Ill.

Gerdau Ameristeel is adding 400,000 tons/year of rolling capacity its Jacksonville, Fla., steel mill. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2010.

Severstal Warren is the new name for the Warren, Ohio steel mill formerly called WCI Steel which was bought by Severstal North America.

Optima International of Miami has purchased Michigan Seamless Tube and Warren Steel Holdings and now plans to reopen a shuttered cold-rolling facility in Gibraltar, Mich., which has been named Steel Rolling Holdings.

Powder metal giant North American Hoganas (www.nah.com) has purchased Kobelco Metal Powder of America, the Seymour, Ind.-based subsidiary of Kobe Steel. Production and marketing of Kobelco's steel powder will be transferred to North American Hoganas through the second quarter of 2009 when the Indiana plant will be closed.

Precision cold-drawn shapes maker Rathbone Precision Metals of Palmer, Mass., has been sold by specialty steel producer Carpenter Technology for $17.5 million to Treci, the controlling company of Calvi Holdings.