This was the first time Republic controlled steel making and rolling facilities in the South in its new Gulf State district in Gadsden, Alabama, to complement its mine and pig iron production facilities in the company's Birmingham district.

Eaton hired Girdler from Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, where he had served as president.

[4][5][6] This was documented by the 1937 short film Republic Steel Strike Riot Newsreel Footage.

[8] In 1945, White was elected president of Republic Steel by the company's board of directors.

As general counsel in the 1930s and 1940s, he negotiated with workers on behalf of management during the steel strikes.

[15] In April 2014, the company agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and agreed to "settle alleged health and safety violations" at four Republic Steel facilities—in Canton, Lorain and Massillon in Ohio, and in Blasdell, New York.

Jaime Vigil, a Republic Steel board member and executive advisor, said Grupo Simec exhausted all other options before deciding to idle operations.

"At the same time, we’ve had to deal with increasing input costs on all raw materials, consumables, and labor, all as a result of the inflationary environment in the U.S. over the past year.” Grupo Simec stated that U.S. customers will be served without interruption by its steel mill in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Grupo Simec said that the company invested $10 million in the Canton facility over the past several years to comply with environmental regulations, particularly the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead.

"As a result, Grupo Simec felt it would be most environmentally responsible to do so at its new, state-of-the-art mill in Tlaxcala."

Vigil said the move is the only way to reliably supply steel products at a competitive price point.