Steel Mills

Zekelman Marks Progress on Blytheville Rolling Mill

April 8, 2021

Zekelman Industries has completed the exterior construction of its new rolling mill in Blytheville, Ark. The 515,000-square-foot facility, located next to Zekelman’s Atlas Tube, will be the largest continuous electric resistance welding (ERW) mill in the world and is expected to be operational by September 2021.

The mill will be able to roll HSS from 8-inch to 22-inch square, rounds up to 28 inch OD and rectangles up to 34 by 10 inches, with wall thicknesses up to 1 inch. Currently, the largest HSS rolled in the U.S. is 16 by 16 by 5/8 inches with anything larger imported. The mill will be able to provide the construction industry with domestically rolled large-size steel products allowing builders to avoid the long lead times and unpredictable delivery schedules of imports, the company said. Lead times from the new mill are expected to be in the 2-4 week range. Applications include bridges, warehouses, stadiums and highway signage.

The welding technology will be designed to handle 1-inch-thick sections, and a quick change technology will give the mill the shortest cycle times in the industry, the company claims. The line will feed into a fully automated warehouse, cutting down delivery times and boosting efficiency.

In line with sustainability commitments, the new mill is being built with all-recycled steel, including HSS, conduit and sprinkler pipe rolled by Zekelman Companies.

The Arkansas mill will be in the vicinity of competitors and potential suppliers Nucor and Big River Steel.