Steel Mills

Gerdau Completes Upgrade at Virginia Rolling Mill

Written by David Schollaert

May 2, 2021

Long products steelmaker Gerdau has completed the installation and cold commissioning of the rolling mill upgrade at its structural steel mill in Petersburg, Va.

The $33 million project–originally slated for completion by late 2020 but delayed due to the impact of COVID-19–has also begun initial hot rolling trials, a company spokesperson confirmed.

The project involved a variety of upgrades to the 24-year-old facility, including the installation of two new rougher stands. The project was designed to improve the mill’s capacity and productivity while expanding its product offerings.

“As Gerdau celebrates its 120th anniversary, the company continues to enhance its operational capabilities and production efficiencies,” said Chia Yuan Wang, president of Gerdau Long Steel North America. “This investment reflects our commitment to our customers, as well as our desire to expand product line offerings in order to grow in attractive market segments.”

Gerdau’s Petersburg electric-arc-furnace (EAF) mill in Virginia has annual capacity of 1.065 million short tons. It produces wide-flange beams, H-pile, sheet piling, and structural merchant products.

The upgrade at Petersburg is part of a larger combined North American investment plan that also includes upgrades to the medium section mill at the Carterville, Ga., plant. The goal of this multi-fold project is to advance Gerdau’s North American operational capabilities and improve production efficiencies and capacity. Gerdau expects to complete the upgrades at the 1.020 million short tons per year EAF facility in Cartersville by this summer.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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