Steel Mills

Nucor shuttering Chicago tubular facility

Written by Ethan Bernard

September 30, 2024

Nucor plans to close its Nucor Tubular Products (NTP) Chicago facility and will lay off 47 workers.

Layoffs will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 27, according to a WARN Notice filed with the state of Illinois.

A Nucor spokeswoman confirmed on Monday the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker is restructuring its tubular products business. This includes ending operations at its Chicago production facility.

“The hollow structural steel (HSS) tube market has evolved in recent years, particularly in the smaller-size segment produced at the NTP Chicago facility,” the spokeswoman said in a statement to SMU on Monday.

She noted that as part of the company’s long-term growth strategy, Nucor recently opened a “state-of-the-art tube facility” in Kentucky.

“This new facility, along with our existing NTP facilities in Illinois and Alabama, enables us to produce a broader range of products,” the spokeswoman added.

Nucor plans to maintain a Nucor Tubular Products sales and administrative office in the Chicago area.

“We are working with affected production teammates to find other opportunities within our company,” the spokeswoman said.

Background

The Chicago plant was opened in 1972 as Independence Tube Corp.’s first location, according to Nucor’s website.

Recall that Nucor acquired Independence Tube in 2016 for $435 million. Independence was then a leading independent manufacturer of hollow structural sections (HSS), a type of steel tubing widely used in construction.

Nucor went on to acquire other independent steel tube producers. They included Birmingham, Ala.-based Southland Tube (2016 for $130 million), Republic Conduit (2016 for $335 million), and Hannibal Industries (2021 for $370 million).

One of the goals of that $1.27-billion buying spree was to provide a value-added home to hot-rolled coil produced by Nucor’s steel mills.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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