Community Events
February 24, 2026
Tampa Steel Conference: JSW USA confirms weather-related delays, sees opportunity ahead
Written by Kristen DiLandro
During a recent winter storm, JSW Steel USA’s Mingo Junction, Ohio, facility sustained equipment damage leading to production delays, said JSW USA CEO Rob Simon at SMU’s Tampa Steel Conference.
Wintery mix freezes Mingo mill
SMU’s Editor-in-Chief Michael Cowden asked Simon whether the frozen river in the Ohio Valley region created any issues for JSW USA. Simon replied that during the facility’s regularly scheduled outage in December it was struck by severe conditions.
Simon and his staff performed a risk analysis and compared historical data to determine whether the timing would work for them.
“Well, of course, 10 days into the outage, we get one of the worst storms that region has seen in decades, right? The river froze for the first time since whenever! What are the chances of that happening? So yes, we had some tremendous damage,” Simon explained.
He continued, “The mill was down, so in a matter of a few hours, literally, the mill froze over. We had damage to our current equipment. We have damage to the new equipment being put in.”
As part of its investment strategy, JSW Steel USA had begun facility upgrades. The winter storm hit the facility mid-installation. Simon said his remarkable onsite team mitigated issues that were estimated to stall the upgrade by months.
“Let me tell you, the crew did work that our installer thought was going to be weeks and months before we’d be ready for them to come back and complete the install,” Simon said. “The crews have done absolutely amazing work there. Strand one is fully operational, fully repaired. Strand two, which was the brand-new piece of equipment, has been completely repaired.”
He added, “The repairs department said it would take us several weeks, if not months. We completed those in a very short period time.”
Simon said the company is ready to put steel into the strand two “imminently” as soon as they get back and finish the commission.
“So, we’re in a great spot right now. You would have asked me then, I probably would’ve shed a couple of tears,” he quipped.
Not for sale
Another key takeaway from Simon’s discussion at the conference was the company’s vision for expanding its US presence. Simon described the commitment that JSW USA’s Indian parent company JSW Group has for the steelmaker in North America.
Simon’s understanding of prior issues with JSW’s leadership came from its former owners.
“It is not an Indian leadership team problem, because there was tremendous support from India towards the right kind of culture. The current team is putting tremendous effort into what we’ve developed a vision,” he said. “We implemented that vision. We developed a plan that begins to execute that vision, and we’re doing our best to engage our employees.”
Simon elaborated, “Were there frustrations in the meantime that even cost ownership to look at selling the company? Absolutely.”
However, he noted that situation has changed. “Where they are today is they are on our rears constantly about where do we invest next? What do we do next? What do we do in five years? What do we do in 10 years?”
Simon concluded, “So, it has shifted tremendously, but we need to make sure that we execute on our vision and our strategic plan and our culture. And then I think the opportunities are tremendous.”
