“We’re very excited to continue investing in a community we’ve proudly called home,” said Zekelman Industries executive chairman and chief executive Barry Zekelman. “Having two mills within close proximity of each other will only increase our organization’s efficiency. We look forward to starting construction of this groundbreaking facility,” he said. 

The US$150 million mill will be capable of producing square, rectangular and round hollow structural sections in the upper end of the size range. For instance, it will be capable of producing 30-by-14-inch sections with 1-inch walls. It also will be able to produce rounds in diameters of 28 inches with 1-inch walls. 

“While Atlas Tube has supplied jumbo-sized hollow structural sections (up to 22 inches square with 0.875-inch walls) since 2012, the new mill allows the full range of these products to be made in the USA for the first time — and with a larger maximum wall thickness than previously available,” the company said. 

The new mill is expected to create 75 new jobs, taking its Blytheville workforce to approximately 150 people. Start-up is scheduled for September 2021.