Nucor Reorganizing Plate Group, Closing Texas Mill

The production phase out at the 100,000-ton-per-year mill in Longview, Texas, will occur in the third quarter of this year, Nucor said in a statement on Wednesday, May 24. The steelmaker purchased the heavy steel plate mill from mining equipment provider Joy Global (now Komatsu Mining) for $29 million in 2016.

Nucor will shift production to the new 1.2-million-ton-per-year Brandenburg mill, which began operating this year, as well as to its two other plate mills in Hertford County, N.C., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Hertford mill produces discrete plate, while the Alabama mill produces both discrete and cut-to-length plate.

The Brandenburg mill will produce discrete, coiled, and heat-treated plate once fully operational. Targeted production at the mill is 500,000 tons this year.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based company said it will offer Nucor Steel Longview teammates employment opportunities at other Nucor divisions.

“I’d like to thank our teammates at Nucor Steel Longview for their outstanding performance and achievements during the past several years. My hope is that all our teammates will choose to remain a part of our Nucor family and accept positions at other Nucor divisions,” Al Behr, executive VP for plate and structural products, said in a statement.

By Laura Miller, laura@steelmarketupdate.com