Gerdau Special Steel North America announced an additional $40.4 million capital investment at its Monroe, Mich., special bar quality (SBQ) 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. 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. This phased investment plan has involved several projects, including installation of a new continuous caster; a new twin-tank vacuum degasser; a new walking-beam reheat furnace; a new electric-arc furnace (EAF) transformer; EAF control and mechanical upgrades; and a new twin-ladle furnace and material-handling system.

“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. “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.”

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 the second quarter of 2024.