In a statement, the firm, Union Partners LLC, said the facility will include slitting and multi-blanking lines housed in a building that can be expanded to 258,000 square feet. The firm said it plans to break ground this quarter. 

"This collaboration will allow Union Partners to supply additional steel needs across the country, while maintaining our strong commitment to innovation. Our leading equipment and testing capabilities will only serve to further enhance the timely delivery of quality steel products into the marketplace," Union Partners founders Chris Hutter and Paul Douglass said in a statement. 

Union Partners specializes in metals and logistics. Its portfolio companies include Chicago Steel, Opus Metals and Mapes & Sprowl Steel. In December, the firm said it had acquired an automotive steel technical center located Michigan. 

The firm said the equipment in the new processing center was selected specifically to meet the needs of Big River and its automotive customers. 

You can read the full announcement here.