Steelmaker Gerdau completed the transition from 152-mm (6-inch) square billets to 210-mm (8.25-inch) square billets on the recently installed state-of-the-art continuous caster at its special-bar-quality (SBQ) steel mill in Monroe, Mich. The switch to larger billets will result in a 90% increase in the reduction ratio of its rolled bar products. This improvement allows Gerdau to expand its product offering of steels for critical powertrain applications in the automotive and other vehicular markets and increases the overall quality and cleanliness of its bar products. Gerdau’s North American special steel division specializes in producing SBQ steel for the automotive, commercial vehicle, agricultural and energy markets.