Steel Mills
Zekelman Marks Progress on Blytheville Rolling Mill
Written by Sandy Williams
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.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
Op-Ed: Ternium CEO Máximo Vedoya wants a fair future forged in steel
After recently receiving an industry honor on behalf of Ternium, I had the opportunity to reflect and share my vision on the state and future of our industry.
Nippon eyeing new $4B U.S. Steel mill to sweeten deal: Report
Nippon Steel could build a new domestic U.S. Steel mill with a total investment of $4 billion.
Nucor cuts CSP by $20/ton, third straight drop
Nucor has lowered its consumer spot price by $20 per short ton, marking the third consecutive weekly decrease.
Nucor reports IT systems breach
Nucor said it temporarily and proactively halted some production operations at various locations.
Cliffs talks DOE funding, blast furnace relining schedule
The future of two projects supported in part by funding through the Department of Energy remains uncertain.