Wheeling-Nisshin, Inc. and West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin have announced the company’s intention to expand operations at its facility in Follansbee, W.Va. This is Wheeling-Nisshin’s third major expansion during its 25 year history in the state of West Virginia.

Wheeling-Nisshin in cooperation with parent corporation Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd. has begun preparations to design, upgrade and modify the AGL line. This will be the first hot-dipping line to be deployed and operated in the U.S. that utilizes a combination of zinc, aluminum and magnesium called (ZAM^®) for coating steel.

According to Noboru Onishi, president and CEO of Wheeling-Nisshin, ZAM® is a highly corrosion-resistant, environmentally friendly steel sheet. It was developed by and is currently being produced by Nisshin Steel. "It is a natural extension for our current operations here in West Virginia and allows our company and employees to grow into a new area of production."

The efforts of the West Virginia Development Office, the West Virginia Economic Development Authority and the company’s good relations and support in the community of the planned expansion including the Brooke COunty Commission, the Brooke County Assessor, the City of Follansbee, the Brooke County Board of Education and the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle have provided the necessary platform for this expansion to go forward.

The company begin construction in 1986 of the first hot-dip aluminizing and galvanizing line which began operations in 1988 as the company’s first fully computerized, state-of-the-art coating facility. In 1993, the company completed a further advanced continuous galvanizing line which broadened its product selection and increased output and was again a first in the nation for high speed, hot-dip line specializing in light gauge coated products.

Wheeling-Nisshin currently produces 700,000 tons of quality products annually for various appliance, automotive, building and construction applications.