Republic Engineered Products, Inc. was established in December 2003 with the purchase of operating assets from Republic Engineered Products LLC. The company was acquired in July 2005 by Industrias CH, S.A de C.V. (ICH), a rapidly growing steel producer and processor based in Mexico City. Republic is a subsidiary of Grupo Simec, Guadalajara, Mexico, of which ICH is the majority owner.

The company traces its roots back to 1886, with the establishment of Berger Manufacturing Co. in Canton, Ohio. Berger later became part of Republic Steel Corp., the sprawling steelmaker organized by financier Cyrus Eaton in 1930. Throughout the 1900s, Republic steel was instrumental in fighting a war and building a nation. Its bar products were instrumental in developing America's automotive, agricultural and aerospace industries.

In 1984, Republic Steel merged with LTV Corp.'s Jones & Laughlin division to form LTV Steel. In 1989, an employee stock ownership plan bought LTV's bar division and renamed it Republic Engineered Steels, marking one of the largest employee ownership transactions in industrial history. In 1998, RES and Bar Technologies combined to form Republic Technologies International, which approximately one year later acquired the bar business of USS/KOBE Steel in Lorain, Ohio.

The Lorain facility, located along the Black River, has a rich history dating back to 1895, when Thomas Johnson constructed the Johnson Steel Street Rail Company mill in just ten months. Throughout its history the plant has operated under several names, including Johnson Steel, Lorain Steel, National Tube Company of U.S. Steel and Lorain Cuyahoga Works of U.S. Steel, before becoming USS/KOBE in 1989.

Republic Engineered Products now operates the best facilities of these companies and is well positioned to write its own promising history. The company's strategic alliance with ICH is helping strengthen its relationships with customers expanding in Mexico and South America.