Buoyed by the success of its first plant,
in Crawfordsville, IN, Nucor started up
a second flat-roll minimill, in Hickman,
AR, in 1992. Based on further success
with the new processes, Nucor has
doubled the capacity of the two plants, to
a total of 4 million tons, and announced
the intention to build two more plants,
either alone or in joint venture with
others, increasing its capacity to 8 million
tons. Other companies, noting Nucor's
success and optimism about the
possibilities of minimill production of
flat-rolled steel, have announced similar
intentions.
Some observers of the industry predict
that as much as 20 million tons of
capacity will be built by about the year
2000. With little or no growth in the
market, any new capacity will have to
displace either imports or integrated
production from the U.S. market.
The supply of raw material for
increased  minimill  production  may
become a problem in the United States.
Although the United States traditionally
has an excess supply of scrap and is a net
exporter of about 9 million tons per year,
the supply of low-residual scrap
necessary to produce flat-rolled steel and
some other products may not be
adequate. As noted in the section on
DRI, imports of DRI are increasing. In
early 1993, Nucor announced that it will
construct a plant in Trinidad to produce
iron carbide, a form of DRI, for use in
its U.S. plants. The plant will have a
capacity of about 300,000 tons per year.
Other minimill operators and iron ore
producers are reported to be considering
direct-reduction plants to provide the
necessary supply of low-residual raw
materials for the growing flat-roll
minimill sector of the industry.
OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION
American Metal Market, daily.
Annual Statistical Report, American Iron
and Steel Institute, Washington, DC.
Directory of Iron and Steel Plants,
Association of Iron and Steel Engineers,
Pittsburgh, PA.


Iron and Steelmaker, American Institute of
Mining and Metallurgical Engineers-Iron
and Steel Society, Warrenton, PA.
HYL, the Iron & Steel Technology Division
of Hylsa, S.A. de C.V. HYL Report.
Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel,
Association of Iron and Steel Engineers,
Pittsburgh, PA.
Metal Bulletin, biweekly.
Midrex Corporation. Direct From Midrex.
Quarterly.
Steel   Manufacturers    Association,
Washington, DC.
Steel Statistical Yearbook, International Iron
and Steel Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
Steel Times International.


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