Steel Mills
Nucor commissions SMS group to upgrade Alabama plate mill
Written by Brett Linton
October 18, 2024
Nucor Corp. has commissioned SMS group to upgrade its Tuscaloosa, Ala., plate mill.
As part of the $280-million investment announced last November, Nucor’s existing Steckel mill will be upgraded to an ultramodern tandem Steckel mill.
“This conversion will enable Nucor Steel to significantly increase its production capacity and get ready to meet future challenges in the steel industry,” SMS group said in a statement on Wednesday.
The conversion will allow Nucor to produce specifically engineered high-strength thin strip products.
The existing entry and exit-side furnaces will be replaced with state-of-the-art closed-type furnaces to better maintain material temperature.
The upgrade will add an additional mill stand downstream of the existing stand. Both stands will operate in tandem for reversing roughing passes and finishing passes, SMS group said. A looper will be positioned between the stands to optimize strip tension and speed control.
The electrical and automation systems in the mill will also be modernized by SMS group.
Nucor has an annual plate production capacity of approximately 3 million tons of cut-to-length and discrete plate. It produces plate for several military and manufacturing applications including construction, heavy equipment, mining, energy, infrastructure, oil and gas, and transportation. The steelmaker has plate facilities in Cofield, N.C., Brandenburg, Ky., and Tuscaloosa.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Mills
Domestic mill shipments slip in July: AISI
US steel shipments decreased month over month in July, but were up from last year, according to the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
Nippon and USS drop litigation vs. USW and Cliffs
Another chapter of the Great U.S. Steel Buyout of the 2020s melodrama has closed, with all involved parties terminating the litigation disputes between them.
Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.
USS Clairton begins full production of batteries 19 and 20, 13 and 14 hot idled
U.S. Steel has activated batteries 19 and 20 at its Clairton Coke Works facility after pausing each “out of an abundance precaution” following an explosion at the site on Aug. 11.
Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.