Gerdau to Invest Additional $40 Million at Monroe
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Nov 1, 2022
Gerdau Special Steel North America will invest an additional $40.4 million at its Monroe, Mich. special bar quality mill. This final phase of the project will include upgrades to the rolling mill, including a new bundler table, bundler area and the installation of a third saw.
“The Monroe mill is being transformed into one of the most advanced SBQ mills in the Americas, optimizing our clean steel capabilities to support current and future needs of SBQ end users in North America,” said Rodrigo Belloc, president of Gerdau Special Steel North America.
Including these rolling mill upgrades, Gerdau has invested nearly $400 million over the past decade to transform the Monroe mill into a world class SBQ production facility, the company claims. This phased investment plan has involved several projects focused on both quality and capacity improvements, including installation of a new continuous caster; a new twin-tank vacuum degasser; a new walking beam reheat furnace; six additional rolling mill stands; a new finishing building with bar straightening and advanced quality inspection equipment; a new electric arc furnace transformer; EAF control and mechanical upgrades; and a new twin-ladle furnace and material handling system.
Commissioning will take place in two phases, beginning with the installation of the new bundler table and area in 2023 and the installation of the new saw being completed in Q2 of 2024.
“This investment will balance Monroe’s melting and rolling capacity, allowing us to ship more tons. Our Monroe melt shop now has a capacity of 850,000 short tons and the rolling mill will achieve 720,000 short tons with this new capital investment,” Belloc said. “We are optimistic about the North American SBQ market. We foresee greater supply chain stability in the aftermath of the pandemic and are prepared to support the pent-up automotive demand and its transformation towards electrification.”