In
Dan Tunacik
Profile
Dan Tunacik came to WVU from Weirton, WV. He had read about Industrial Engineering and had talked to the father of a friend who was the head of IE at Weirton Steel. Dan was especially interested in the business side that Industrial Engineering offered. When Dan graduated in 1973, he chose to work for Bethlehem Steel in a management development program. Coming from Weirton, Dan was familiar with the steel industry.
Dan worked for Bethlehem Steel for 12 years in Valparaiso, IN. He married a “local girl” and wanted to stay in the area and raise his family of four children.
Dan moved to Inland Steel (now Arcelor Mittal) to head up their technical group. “I did some operations research work (simulation),” Dan says. “This gave me a lot of credibility.” Over time, Dan had a number of different positions. His work in operations planning gained him experience with the sales function. “I was in effect the connector between the plant and sales.”
Inland Steel was the first plant in America bought by Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian steel entrepreneur (the 3rd richest person in the world). Dan, at the time, was the General Manager of the Indiana operations of 650 people. He interacted weekly with Mittal to review operations and met with him every quarter. “Mr. Mittal gave me total autonomy with operations as long as we were profitable.” Over time, Arcelor Mittal used the Indiana plant as a model for other facilities.
Dan advises students to look at less well-known companies as a career option. “You can have a greater impact and move up faster. Big companies can be very stifling.”
Dan also urges students to get comfortable in reading reports and develop the ability to gain insights from what you read. “You will be surprised by how much you will need to read.”
Bio
Dan Tunacik
General Manager at Arcelor Mittal Indiana Harbor Bar
Experience
Retired General Manager, Steel Plant
Retired General Manager at ArcelorMittal
August 1985 – January 2016 (30 years 6 months)
Responsible for all areas of a modern steel plant, including manufacturing,
personnel, inventory control, capital projects, and safety.
General Manager at Arcelor Mittal Indiana Harbor Bar
August 1985 – January 2016 (30 years 6 months)
Education
West Virginia University
BS Industrial Engineering, Engineering, 1969 – 1973
Activities and Societies: Sigma Chi Fraternity
