The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued an environmental permit to Steel Dynamics Inc. that will allow the company to begin modification and expansion of its bar steel mill in Pittsboro, Ind. SDI acquired the facility earlier this year.
Glenn Pushis, general manager of SDI’s Bar Products Division, stated, "We plan to begin construction at the Pittsboro mill immediately, adding space for new equipment that will allow us to produce and handle a broad range of bar products. We expect to spend approximately $75 million to upgrade the facility, including a new rolling mill, straightening and stacking equipment, a new finished-products-distribution warehouse, new scrap bay and scrap handling facilities, and numerous other equipment upgrades to improve manufacturing and material handling capabilities."
Expansion of the mill and subsequent installation of equipment are expected to proceed through the remainder of 2003 and the first quarter of 2004. Steel Dynamics expects to begin production of special-bar-quality products early next year, followed by production of merchant bar products in the second quarter of 2004. At its planned capacity, the mill should be capable of producing 500,000 to 600,000 tons of bar products per year. This rate is not expected to be achieved before 2005.