Great Lakes steel production drops 6.8%

Steel production fell by 47,000 tons last week in the Great Lakes region, according to local news source NW Indiana Times.    Steel production in the Great Lakes region dropped 6.8 percent to 640,000 tons last week, reported local news source NW Indiana Times.
   The 47,000 ton decrease from the week prior highlighted a slight decrease in domestic steelmaking capacity during the same week, from 74.5 percent to 74.1 percent. 
   U.S. steel output dropped slightly last week to 1.72 million tons, a 0.5 percent decrease.
   However, steel production is up 3.2 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year. In particular, output in the Southern District, which spans mini-mills across the South, rose 639,000 tons last week, up from 592,000 tons the previous week.