In a statement, Danieli said the US$650 million project will reconfigure the plant, converting the compact thin-slab casting and rolling facility to a Danieli Quality Strip Production plant. Quality Strip Production is the name Danieli gives to its family of thin-slab casting and rolling plants.  

The project will not only increase the mill’s capacity to 3 million tons per year, but will allow it to expand its offerings of value-added steels, including AHSS grades and API line pipe grades. 

Nucor announced the project in September, saying the project will allow it to grow its share of the Midwestern market, particularly in the automotive, agriculture, heavy equipment, and energy pipe and tube sectors. The project also dovetails with a previously announced installation of a US$176 million pickling and galvanizing line, which is to come on-line in 2019. 

Danieli said the order entails a new DC EAF and twin ladle metallurgy furnace, a new single- strand vertical bending caster, a new tunnel furnace, and widening of and upgrades to the current finishing mill. 

The equipment is to be installed during three carefully orchestrated outages, Danieli said. 

“The strategy takes maximum advantage of the annual maintenance outages already planned by the plant,” Danieli said.  

“During the last shutdown the complete roughing mill group, previously pre-assembled off-line, will be moved in line via a lift-shift system. The foundations of the mills will be prepared under the existing tunnel furnace without interfering with the production.”

Danieli has more about the project here.