Mittal Reopening Indiana Steel Plant

Mittal Steel USA announced plans to restart its idled plate mill in Gary, Ind., due to strong market demand for plate products. The reopening is scheduled for this coming September.

In 1990, the mill underwent a major modernization program that included automatic hydraulic gauge control. The mill has the ability to produce plate up to 150 inches in width with lengths up to 1,500 inches desired by customers for better productivity.

"The reopening of the Gary mill would allow Mittal to meet the increasing demands of the energy market, which is forecasted to be strong for the next several years," said Shelby Pixley, CEO Mittal Plate USA. "Largely due to the strength of this market, plate demand has grown significantly for large-diameter line pipe, wind towers, transmission towers, and tank cars."

In addition to selling finished products domestically, Mittal also plans to export some of the finished product to take advantage of strong global demand for plate products in the construction, machinery and shipbuilding markets. Additionally, the reopening of the Gary mill will also enable Mittal to increase its heat-treat capacity for quench and temper product which, like wide-plate, is in strong demand.