In addition, the store, a sole proprietorship, saw its revenue climb from US$900,000 to US$3.1 million in that same time.

“That tells you the economic impact,” Stickler said during the ceremony. 

But the mill's full impact carries well beyond Osceola, Ark., as evidenced by the more than 700 people who attended the ceremony. Some traveled from overseas help Big River cut the ribbon on what is America’s newest operating mill and one of its most advanced.

Stickler told guests, who included politicians, investors, customers, contractors and suppliers, that the facility already has prompted more than US$300 million in regional investments from those looking to do business with the mill. And, he said, it is the first steel facility to obtain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification.

On top of that, Big River has partnered with the Center for Collision Safety and Analysis at George Mason University, becoming the first steel mill to have been invited to join, he said.  

“We’re sitting at the table with the likes of Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes, helping them design their next generation of cars using the next generation of steels,” he said. 

Advanced automotive steels will be one of the mill’s core products, and in support of that portfolio, Big River intends to establish an automotive research facility somewhere in the state. In conjunction with the state and Arkansas State University, the company plans to announce the research center’s future home sometime this year. 

Stickler told the audience that he hopes to leverage the research facility, Big River’s automotive steels and the nearby presence of other steelmakers to help Arkansas win the next competition for an automotive stamping plant. Taking those things together, he said, Arkansas offers a compelling case, he said.  

“With us and our advanced high-strength steels; our competitor Nucor up the road making investments to get more and more into automotive steels; and with our research center here, I think that Arkansas has a fair chance to win that next sweepstakes.”

Big River broke ground on its mill in July 2014. In the months that followed, construction crews laid 1,400 miles of cable and poured enough concrete to build a sidewalk from Osceola to New York City. And with the Mississippi River nearby, they had to lower the water table by more than 50 feet. 

The first of the mill’s production lines -- its batch anneal shop and its skinpass mill -- opened in March 2016. The meltshop and hot strip mill were put into service later in the year, with the first coils shipping in December.   

The mill’s production lines are built entirely around technology supplied by SMS group. At its heart is SMS’ Compact Strip Production technology, which combines casting, heating and rolling in a single, continuous line. At Big River, the line can turn a bucket of scrap into a hot-rolled coil in an hour and a half. 

Although SMS group was the primary process technology supplier, the list of those who contributed ancillary equipment is a veritable steel industry who’s who. Big River bought a substation from Primetals Technologies; a water treatment plant from Russula; Baldor motors, drives, transformers and rectifiers from ABB; EAF components from The Systems Group; material handling equipment from Tenova; and cranes from Ace World Companies and Morgan Co. 

As it is now, the mill is targeting 1.65 million tons of production, but additional phases of construction could take it to nearly 4 million tons. The additional work includes a second electric arc furnace, twin ladle furnace and strip mill. The steelmaker also is preparing to install an RH degasser in June.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who also spoke during the ceremony, said the mill will make Arkansas a standout place to do business in the steel industry. 

“This is our latest technology company here. It is our latest manufacturing company in Arkansas. It will put Arkansas on the forefront of steel production in the United States of America. That is something to be proud of,” Hutchinson said, adding that it has given the state something to brag about. 

“I’m able to go across the globe and talk about the steel industry in Arkansas,” he said. 

More coverage will appear in the May 2017 issue of Iron & Steel Technology.