Steel Mills

CMC to Build Third Micro Mill
Written by Sandy Williams
August 12, 2020
Commercial Metals Company, a long products producer, is adding a third micro mill that will make merchant bar quality products through a continuous production process that will utilize renewable energy.
“We are excited by the tremendous promise of CMC’s third micro mill. This is a smart growth initiative that feeds the large underlying West Coast demand for rebar and merchant bar, replacing inefficient existing rebar capacity with environmentally friendly technology,” said Chairman President and CEO Barbara Smith.
The $300 million new mill will be built in Mesa, Ariz., and have an estimated nominal annual capacity of 500,000 tons, including 150,000 tons of merchant products. The new mill will be located next to CMC’s existing Mesa micro mill, which has been regularly operating at 50 percent more than nameplate capacity. The mill will replace inefficient production at the Rancho Cucamonga mill in California. Sale of California real estate will help fund the new project.
Tracy Porter, executive vice president and chief operating officer, stated, “Representing another first in North America, this new micro mill, which we are calling Triple M, will employ the latest technology in EAF power supply systems provided by Danieli, our equipment provider. Among the many advantages, we selected Danieli’s ‘Q-One’ technology because it allows us to directly connect the Electric Arc Furnace and Ladle Furnace to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and we intend to construct a solar array on our plant site to provide a meaningful portion of the facility’s power. With this new advanced technology, coupled with the continuous steelmaking process, we will be one of the most efficient steel producers in the world.”
CMC expects to commission the new mill in early 2023 and will employ roughly 185 people. When fully operational, CMC’s new mill will bring nearly half a billion dollars of economic activity annually to the Mesa community and will add roughly 1,000 new jobs in the state of Arizona including employment at vendors and local businesses, the company said.

Sandy Williams
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