Lehigh alumnus named to head Iron and Steel Society

Adapting to the “new terrain” of consolidations and increased international competition, and attaining greater efficiency and technological improvements are the major challenges facing America’s steel industry, says William P. Barker ’73, who was recently elected president of the Iron and Steel Society.

"The proverbial 'bottom line' of the changes [and mergers] taking place in the domestic industry is that successful models will emerge and new organizations will be stronger, more efficient, better managed in an increasingly competitive worldwide economy," Barker said in an interview with Iron and Steel Magazine.

Barker has worked in steel since he earned a B.S. in metallurgical engineering and materials science from Lehigh thirty years ago. Upon graduation, he joined National Steel and worked three decades for the company until it was bought out in May by U.S. Steel Corp.

Within six months of joining National Steel, Barker was designing, running and evaluating trials to reduce surface defects. In 1983, he was part of the first plant-wide group to work on quality and yield improvements. Later, he developed an automated slab quality evaluation system and supervised process optimization and productivity improvement. He is now area manager of hot mill slab yards, furnaces and finishing for U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes Works in Ecorse, Michigan.

Despite the downturn in the U.S. steel industry, Barker says American steel companies, especially those that are shifting from primary production to finishing operations, are learning to compete with foreign steelmakers.

"There are great opportunities for value-added operations," he says. "The auto companies, for example, are demanding better service and quicker response than off-shore companies can provide."

But Barker warns that, as U.S. companies import more steel slabs and coke from abroad in part to avoid stiff environmental regulations, they are "exporting their pollution problems" to countries where emission rules are more lax.

Barker says he applied to Lehigh based on advice he received from people working in industry.

"People who were already doing well in industry told me I should go to Lehigh because the university knew how to train students in just four years to become successful business people and industry leaders. That was one reason I chose Lehigh, and I think for me and for many of my classmates, that was a true prediction. The curriculum was very practical, the professors and staff were very technically competent and realistic, and classes focused on finding solutions to real-world problems."

The Iron and Steel Society is a professional and technical society that promotes networking among iron and steel industry professionals. It has more than 8,500 international members.