Gerdau to Restart Iowa Auto Shredder

The steel company Gerdau, headquartered in Brazil, has announced plans to restart its auto shredding operations at its Wilton, Iowa, steel mill by the middle of 2012. The company idled the shredder nearly three years ago. The shredder will process scrap steel, including used vehicles, vehicle parts, white goods and other obsolete materials.  
 

Gerdau began installing new equipment at the site in late 2011, including a new infeed system for the existing shredder and updated automation and controls. 
 

Favorable weather in the area has put construction ahead of schedule, and the company says it is aiming to have the project complete by May 1. 
 

“The restart and upgrade of the Wilton shredder is part of our commitment to captive scrap utilization throughout North America,” Matt Yeatman, Gerdau vice president of raw materials, says. “Utilizing the synergy of scrap production and steel making on one site is core to our business model.”  
 

Gerdau operates 17 steel mills in the United States and Canada. The company says it consumes more than 7 million tons of ferrous scrap to feed its steel mills.