Speaking during CMC’s first-quarter earnings call on Monday, president and chief executive officer Peter Matt said the Arizona 2 mill is now routinely exceeding daily high-water production marks. 

“The team has done an exceptional job commissioning a very technologically advanced operation,” he said.
Still, the company has had to pull back on what it first thought possible, saying the mill is now expected to produce 250,000 tons in fiscal 2024. The company previously had said it hoped to make 400,000 tons.  

“The learning curve has been more extended than we originally anticipated,” Matt said. 

The mill was designed with the capacity to annually produce 500,000 tons, 350,000 tons of rebar and 150,000 tons of merchant products. 

Production has so far been focused on rebar, but it is looking to commission merchant production early this year. 
Meanwhile, work is ongoing at the company’s planned West Virginia mill. 

“Civil work is nearly complete after which we will begin setting foundations. We expect to begin commissioning this exciting project in late calendar 2025,” Matt said.