ITTSBURGH -- Producers of steel and zinc products have banded together to create a new information center to provide technical assistance to buyers of coated steel sheet.

The new GalvInfo Center, located in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, was established by the International Lead Zinc Research Organization, the cooperative research arm of the zinc industry.

Fourteen companies and organizations with interests in galvanized steel--the American Zinc Association, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Big River Zinc Corp., Eastern Alloys, Henkel Surface Technologies, the International Zinc Association, LTV Steel Corp., Metaltech, National Steel Corp., Oakite Products, PPG Industries Inc., U.S. Steel Group of USX Corp., Valspar Corp. and Weirton Steel Corp.--have provided financial backing for the center. Their financial commitments were not disclosed. The center will be run by Ralph Leonard, who will serve as its director. Leonard's career in the industry includes 30 years with U.S. Steel Group, here, in the areas of production; use and performance of coated sheet products.

The center has been organized primarily to answer technical inquiries about the use of metallic coated steel sheet products, in which zinc is a major component of the coating. This includes galvanized and galvannealed products, Galvalume steel sheet and Galfan steel sheet. The center also will answer inquiries concerning the performance of surface treatments and paints.
Advertisement

Its objectives are "to provide technical assistance to users and potential users of zinc-coated steel sheet products" and to "broaden the understanding of the user community about the behavior and performance of zinc-coated steel sheet products."

Leonard said the center was up and running and already receiving inquiries. "Inquiries are starting to come in," he said, from buyers, architects, builders and all manner of customers who use coated sheet.