Mark Bula of Big River Steel Addresses Association of Women in the Metal Industries
04/24/2015 - The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) held an industry dinner on Thursday, 23 April 2015. Mark Bula, chief commercial officer for Big River Steel, was the keynote speaker.
Located on the Mississippi River in Osceloa, Ark., USA, Big River Steel is positioning itself as an innovative “start-up” steel mill through its unique steelmaking process and variety of niche products for the energy sector.
Big River Steel will operate a “flex mill,” which utilizes the cost position and culture of a mini-mill, but yields products typical of an integrated mill, such as electrical steels and advanced high-strength steels. Big River Steel’s main supplier is the SMS group, which is delivering the EAF, RH degasser (a feature that makes Big River Steel unique in its steelmaking process), CSP caster, tunnel furnace, hot mill, runout tables, pickle line and tandem cold mill, and galvanizing lines. Big River Steel is expecting to be fully operational by mid-2016.
During his presentation, Bula discussed the challenges facing today’s steel industry, including the popularity of aluminum, the need for innovation, “reshoring” steel production and jobs, and handling overseas competition. One important component of the industry’s need for innovation is improved science, technology and mathematics curricula in primary and secondary schools.
As for reshoring steel production back to the U.S., Bula described a need to evolve technology and drive innovation through asset allocation, providing customers with better-quality products, creating environmentally friendly products for use in automobile manufacturing and positioning the steel industry as an attractive destination for young people. Bula cited Big River Steel’s partner SMS group’s apprenticeship program as an effective way to not only acquire good employees but to prevent young engineers from being burdened with college tuition costs.
Bula earned a degree in industrial marketing from Robert Morris University in 1989 and received his M.B.A. from the University of Toledo in 1996. Bula began his steel career at National Steel Corp. in 1989. He later joined Nucor Corp., where he was in sales and marketing. He spent a number of years outside the steel industry and then joined the Steel Tube Institute. In July 2014, he became chief commercial officer for Big River Steel.
Big River Steel will operate a “flex mill,” which utilizes the cost position and culture of a mini-mill, but yields products typical of an integrated mill, such as electrical steels and advanced high-strength steels. Big River Steel’s main supplier is the SMS group, which is delivering the EAF, RH degasser (a feature that makes Big River Steel unique in its steelmaking process), CSP caster, tunnel furnace, hot mill, runout tables, pickle line and tandem cold mill, and galvanizing lines. Big River Steel is expecting to be fully operational by mid-2016.
During his presentation, Bula discussed the challenges facing today’s steel industry, including the popularity of aluminum, the need for innovation, “reshoring” steel production and jobs, and handling overseas competition. One important component of the industry’s need for innovation is improved science, technology and mathematics curricula in primary and secondary schools.
As for reshoring steel production back to the U.S., Bula described a need to evolve technology and drive innovation through asset allocation, providing customers with better-quality products, creating environmentally friendly products for use in automobile manufacturing and positioning the steel industry as an attractive destination for young people. Bula cited Big River Steel’s partner SMS group’s apprenticeship program as an effective way to not only acquire good employees but to prevent young engineers from being burdened with college tuition costs.
Bula earned a degree in industrial marketing from Robert Morris University in 1989 and received his M.B.A. from the University of Toledo in 1996. Bula began his steel career at National Steel Corp. in 1989. He later joined Nucor Corp., where he was in sales and marketing. He spent a number of years outside the steel industry and then joined the Steel Tube Institute. In July 2014, he became chief commercial officer for Big River Steel.
