Cleveland-Cliffs’ Subsidiary AK Steel Recognized by General Motors as a 2019 Supplier of the Year Winner

AK Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF), was named GM Supplier of the Year by General Motors for Raw Materials during a virtual ceremony honoring the recipients of the company’s 28th annual Supplier of the Year awards on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. GM’s Supplier of the Year award is reserved for suppliers who distinguish themselves by meeting performance metrics for quality, execution, innovation, and total enterprise cost. AK Steel produces a unique product mix of carbon, stainless and electrical steel products for automotive solutions and this is the third consecutive year that the business has received the award.

During the event, GM recognized 116 of its best suppliers from 15 countries that have consistently exceeded GM’s expectations, created outstanding value or introduced innovations to the company. The awards ceremony was originally scheduled as a live-event to be held in March but was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recognition is for supplier performance in the 2019 calendar year.

"Our suppliers play a key role in delivering the products, services and experiences our customers deserve – and these award-winning suppliers went above and beyond our expectations,” said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.

"We also believe it’s important at this point in time to thank our entire supply base for their efforts the last few months to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19,” added Amin. "Not only have we been able to safely restart our manufacturing operations, our suppliers played a key role in assisting our initiatives to increase the supply of ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE) for frontline health care workers to help save lives and keep communities safe.”

Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer said, "We are proud that AK Steel is recognized once again as a premier GM Supplier of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes our dedicated team’s outstanding technical and commercial support to GM. More than anything, we value our collaborative relationship with GM.” Mr. Goncalves added: "We are committed to continuing to work with GM to design steel solutions for their existing and new vehicles. GM’s commitment with the future of the automotive industry is also our commitment.”

The Supplier of the Year award winners were chosen by a global team of GM purchasing, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics executives. Winners were selected based on performance criteria in Product Purchasing, Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services, Customer Care and Aftersales, and Logistics.

About Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Founded in 1847, Cleveland-Cliffs is among the largest vertically integrated producers of differentiated iron ore and steel in North America. With an emphasis on non-commoditized products, the Company is uniquely positioned to supply both customized iron ore pellets and steel solutions to a quality-focused customer base. AK Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs, is a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products. The AK Tube and Precision Partners businesses provide customer solutions with carbon and stainless steel tubing products, die design and tooling, and hot- and cold-stamped components. In 2020, Cliffs also expects to be the sole producer of hot briquetted iron (HBI) in the Great Lakes region. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 11,000 people across mining and steel manufacturing operations in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.clevelandcliffs.com or www.aksteel.com.

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE: GM) is a global company committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities, sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

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