With the exception of the hot side and the tandem cold mill, the plant is now fully operational, Steel Dynamics chief executive Mark Millett said during the company’s second quarter earnings call last week.  

Commissioning, he added, is continuing on the hot side and ion the tandem cold mill. 

“The hot mill has established target volume throughput rates with an average run rate of 75% to 80%. And I just want to emphasize that when we are running, we’re running at that rate. Surface quality is excellent. It’s proven to be superior to both our Columbus and our Butler facilities,” Millett said. 

He added: “The hot strip mill design is allowed for thermomechanical rolling. That’s allowing higher strength grades to be produced at lower alloy content. The reported coil shape from our processes is excellent. And so in total, it affirms the technical process capability of the equipment, affirms the design decisions that were made some years ago for the mill.”

Meanwhile, the company is continuing work on its two new paint lines and two new galvanizing lines. Millett said the project is progressing well and start-up is scheduled for the second half of 2023. 

Millett said the lines will add an additional 1.1 million tons of coating capacity within the company.

“We’ve created unique supply chain solutions for our customers, and these lines are almost always fully utilized with our highest-margin products,” he said.