Less than a year after idling the stainless finishing equipment at its Zanesville, Ohio, USA, works because of lacklustre stainless coil and narrow strip shipments, AK Steel is considering restarting the unit because of increasing market demand and rising prices. An AK Steel spokesman says the company is continuing to evaluate the North American stainless market and is considering whether demand can support a restart of Zanesville’s Sendzimir cold rolling mill, which has a capacity to produce about 165,000 short tons annually (150,000 tonnes/year). AK stopped the stainless production line in June 2005 and moved the finishing of the 400 series stainless to its other mills – Rockport, Indiana, and Coshocton, Ohio – which the company says are more efficient. The move did not affect the Zanesville’s electrical steel production.