Germany-based plantmaker SMS Group has announced that it will supply a new 500,000 mt per year merchant bar mill for Nucor Steel Kankakee, a subsidiary of US-based steelmaker Nucor. The new facility will be installed at Nucor Steel Kankakee’s existing bar mill located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, with production scheduled to commence in 2019.
SMS stated that this plant will be designed to produce a wide range of merchant bar products to complement the existing product portfolio. The new merchant bar mill will consist of 16 total stands, including five dual-drive convertible stands, all equipped with a quick-changing device.
A high degree of efficiency will be guaranteed thanks to the technology systems and quick-changing equipment: size changes and adjustments to the product lengths can be performed quickly, while downtimes are reduced to a minimum.
John Ferriola, CEO of Nucor, stated that this new merchant bar mill is right in line with the group’s long-term strategy for profitable growth and it builds on the company’s market leadership position by further enhancing its product offerings of merchant bar, light shapes and structural angle and channel in markets in the central US.