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Castrip Names New President

09/08/2006 - Castrip LLC announced that Frank M. Fisher Jr. has joined the company as its new President.

Castrip LLC announced that Frank M. Fisher Jr. has joined the company as its new President.

The Castrip(R) process is the world's first commercial technology to produce carbon steel sheet via the twin-roll process.

The initial Castrip installation, located at Nucor Steel's Crawfordsville, Ind., plant, was commissioned in 2002. This Castrip facility provides steel sheet to construction and manufacturing markets in the 0.85 to 1.5 mm thickness range (0.035 to 0.060 inches). Products from the facility compete against light-gauge hot rolled as well as cold rolled sheet.

The company says the metallurgical properties in Castrip UCS (Ultra-thin Cast Strip) provide economic benefits through reduced capital, energy, labor and maintenance costs.

Fisher will take over the presidency of Castrip LLC from Richard Wechsler, who became Nucor's General Manager of International Business Development in 2005 and has continued to serve as Acting President of Castrip LLC until Mr. Fisher's appointment.

"We knew from the onset that this was going to be a difficult position to fill in that it requires a rather unique skill set," said John Ferriola, Nucor's Executive Vice President for Sheet Products. "When we were introduced to Frank, we knew he was our man. He not only knows the intricacies of steel, but his strength in sales will also be key to the ongoing marketing effort of this revolutionary technology."

Formerly Vice President of Sales-North America and Europe at Magneco/Metrel, Inc. in Addison, Ill., Fisher brings more than 24 years of steel-related experience to the Castrip process.

Fisher states, "What attracted me most to Castrip LLC was the cutting-edge technology inherent in the Castrip process combined with the vision, persistence and dedication of this blended team of three outstanding companies: Nucor, BlueScope and IHI."

Based in Charlotte, N.C., Castrip LLC is a joint venture of Nucor, BlueScope Steel Ltd. of Australia, and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) of Japan. The company was formed to market and license the intellectual property developed jointly by its three owners, related to the twin roll casting of carbon and stainless steels. Castrip is a registered trademark of Castrip LLC.