Steel Bolsters U.S. Metals & Minerals Second-Quarter Maintenance

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Following a rough 2024, top U.S. producers of steel products are seeing stronger demand on the horizon. Executives at Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina) and other companies expect improved business and are driving the bulk of maintenance programs set to begin across the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry in the coming months. Industrial Info is tracking more than 110 maintenance-related projects across the industry that are set to kick off in the second quarter of 2025, with steel-manufacturing plants accounting for nearly half of the total investment value.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry maintenance projects set to begin work from April through June, by industry sector.

Nucor accounts for more second-quarter maintenance projects than any other company, with 11 separate shutdowns set to kick off in the coming months. This includes a program at the Nucor-Yamato Steel Mill in Blytheville, Arkansas, a joint venture with Yamato Steel Company Limited (Himeji, Japan), which is expected to run into the fourth quarter. The mill produces more than 2.5 million tons per year of wide-flange beams, I-beams, sheet piling and other goods, and includes a 675,000-ton-per-year strip-casting mill.

Other Nucor facilities with maintenance programs running into the fourth quarter include the Hickman Steel Sheet Plant in Blytheville, which produces 2.6 million tons per year of flat-rolled steel, and the Nucor Steel Berkeley plant in Huger, South Carolina, which produces 3.7 million tons per year of hot-rolled sheet steel. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can read detailed reports on the Nucor-Yamato, Hickman and Berkeley projects.

In the company's most recent quarterly earnings-related conference call, Leon Topalian, the chief executive officer of Nucor, said "the demand environment may be showing some early indications of strengthening." He said the company's raw materials segment likely will shift to higher volumes to meet the demand growth at its steel mills.

Cleveland-Cliffs Incorporated (NYSE:CLF) (Cleveland, Ohio) accounts for six maintenance-related programs set to begin in the second quarter, including one at its largest facility, the Indiana Harbor Works in East Chicago, Indiana. The company is performing normal inspections and repairs via six weeklong shutdowns, running into the fourth quarter, at the mill, which produces 2.7 million tons per year of hot-rolled, cold-rolled and hot-dip galvanized products.

Another major Cleveland-Cliffs facility, the 3.8 million-ton-per-year Cleveland Steel Works plant in Cleveland, Ohio, is preparing for one- to two-week shutdowns on a blast furnace and a boiler fleet in May. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Indiana Harbor Works, Cleveland blast furnace and Cleveland boiler fleet projects.

As with Nucor, executives at Cleveland-Cliffs are optimistic about steel demand in 2025. "Our order book is in a much stronger position to start 2025 with a significant uptick in demand," said Lourenco Goncalves, the chief executive officer, in a recent earnings call. "The improvements in automotive have been especially encouraging, with increased volumes from both existing and new programs."

Steel Dynamics Incorporated (NASDAQ:STLD) (Fort Wayne, Indiana) also is looking at six maintenance-related programs set to begin in the coming months, albeit at a smaller number of facilities. Two of the company's top producers, a 3 million-ton-per-year steel minimill in Butler, Indiana, and a 2 million-ton-per-year steel minimill in Columbia City, Indiana, each are preparing for two major programs running into November: a hot strip mill and melt shop at Butler, and a rolling mill and melt shop at Columbia City.

Barry Schneider, the chief operating officer of Steel Dynamics, said his company is "optimistic regarding steel demand and pricing dynamics as we enter 2025," particularly for its steel deck, joist and railroad products. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the maintenance programs for the hot strip mill and melt shop at Butler, and the rolling mill and melt shop at Columbia City.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of detailed reports for maintenance-related projects in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry that are set to kick off in the second quarter of 2025.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).