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Show STEEL'S PROORESSgw AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE COMPETITION IS KEEN IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY Between 1939 and 1955 the number of companies producing ingot steel rose from 73 to 84. Several of the newcomers in steel production now rank among the top 30 companies with capacities of 500,000 tons or. more. In this same period, the number of companies with capacities of a million tons or more rose from 11 to 19. The 84 steelmaking companies com-panies in 1955 operated plants in 118 communities in 27 states. The industry's ingot steel production pro-duction is finished for ultimate markets by an estimated total of 255 companies, with plants in 270 communities of 31 states. Smaller producers have outpaced out-paced larger competitors in rate of growth. The 11 largest companies com-panies in 1939 increased capacity ca-pacity 48 per cent by 1955, while other companies showed an 85 per . cent increase during this same period of time. In automotive production, three major competitors share in 95 per cent of the business ; in cigarettes, three competitors supply 75 per cent of the market; in aluminum, three producers compete to sell the entire basic aluminum output. In steel, the three top companies com-panies in 1955 had less than 55 per cent of the industry's capacity. ca-pacity. The rising number of major steel producers has extended ex-tended competition in steel over a steadily widening front. -SEPARATE STEEL COMPANIES SPAN THE NATION 27 Slates have steelmaking facilities V 84 Companies produce Ingot Steel f mn ,V 255 Companies finish steel for the . cum imn ua siuimuim cimn nation's markets |