Gerdau to restart Michigan SBQ mills

Market: Metals
16/04/20

Long products producer Gerdau will restart melting and rolling operations at its special steel operations in Jackson and Monroe, Michigan, on 20 April.

The planned restart comes nearly one month after it idled the facilities due to Covid-19-related shutdowns in the US auto industry.

Gerdau said it has been monitoring the situation regarding coronavirus in deciding whether to reopen the two mills, which are located near Detroit.

"This situation remains very fluid, so we will continue adjusting our production capabilities as needed to meet demand," said Rodrigo Belloc, president of Gerdau Special Steel North America.

The two Michigan mills have a combined melting capacity of 992,000 st/yr and a rolling capacity of 1.1mn st/yr.

The restart temporarily extends melting operations at the 331,000 st/yr special bar quality (SBQ) mill in Jackson. The melt shop and rolling mill at Jackson were previously slated to idle in mid-April.

The finishing and shipping departments at both locations, as well as Gerdau's Huntington, Indiana, heat treating facility, remain operational.

Gerdau in late March restarted melting and rolling operations at its Arkansas special steel operations after idling the melt shop for less than a week.

By Brad MacAulay

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