Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 5 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 5 related plants in PECWeb
Released June 08, 2018 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A roaring automotive industry is among the factors driving the Metals & Minerals Industry in the U.S. Great Lakes region. Industrial Info is tracking more than $4 billion in active Metals & Minerals projects that are set to begin construction in the Great Lakes region from now through the end of the year, more than half of which is attributed to metal processing and steel production.
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Metals & Minerals project kickoffs in the Great Lakes region in the second half of the year, by state.
The Great Lakes region includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Kentucky leads all other states in the region in its total investment value (TIV) for project kickoffs, much of it attributed to Braidy Industries Incorporated's (Ashland, Kentucky) $1.5 billion aluminum rolling mill in Argillite. The facility is expected to produce 370,000 tons per year of aluminum sheet and plate for automotive and aerospace products. The U.S. auto industry has been enjoying a recovery in the past few years, boosting demand for such aluminum products; Craig Bouchardm the chief executive officer (CEO) of Braidy Industries, is optimistic about the effects of the Trump administration's policies toward the industry, including current and proposed tariffs.
"I think that's a war we win," Bouchard told West Virginia's WCHS TV about a possible trade war caused by the tariffs. He said that about 85% of aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, but tariffs could force the construction of more domestic smelters. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
A very different opinion came from another company with a major project in the same state: Novelis Incorporated (Atlanta, Georgia), which is building a $300 million Aluminum Sheet Mill in Guthrie, Kentucky. The 200,000-ton-per-year facility will include heat-treatment and pre-treatment lines to produce sheet for use in cars, trucks and other vehicles. Marco Palmieri, president of Novelis North America, blamed ongoing pricing instability on Trump's policies.
"We have seen aluminum prices in the past higher than they are today, but what we don't like is the volatility, the uncertainty," Palmieri told the Financial Times. He added that the decision earlier this year to collect a 10% tariff on aluminum imports and issue sanctions against Russia's Rusal "exacerbated the impact." For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Michigan, often called the heart of the U.S. auto industry, is hosting one of the largest mining projects in the region: Michigan Potash Company LLC's $700 million mine and processing plant in Evart. The facility is designed to produce 800,000 tons per year of potash, a commonly used fertilizer, and 1 million tons per year of food-grade salt over a 200-year mine life. Potash salt would be extracted by pumping water or brine into targeted zones via wells.
The project took a step forward earlier this week when the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality granted permits for eight solution mining wells and three non-hazardous brine disposal wells at the facility, despite environmental opposition to the project, according to Michigan's m live. Michigan Potash CEO Theodore Pagano recently told the Detroit Free Press that Michigan's potash may be some of the purest in the world and could boost the state's economy by as much as $65 billion. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Illinois has both mining and steel-production projects on its slate. Knight Hawk Coal LLC (Percy, Illinois) is planning a $200 million life extension and expansion at the Blackhawk Coal Mine in Sparta, which the company says is one of the few active surface mines of a larger size in Illinois. Knight Hawk plans to expand Blackhawk into an adjacent reserve to extract coal from a pair of seams. Blackhawk currently has 12 million tons of reserves. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina), another major steel producer that supports Trump's tariffs, is planning a $180 million expansion of the Kankakee Steel Mill in Bourbonnais, Illinois, which will add 500,000 tons per year of production via the addition of a merchant bar quality mill. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report and March 5, 2018, article - U.S. Industry Sharply Divided on Trump's Tariff Plans; Steel Cheers, Manufacturers Recoil.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Metals & Minerals project kickoffs in the Great Lakes region in the second half of the year, by state.The Great Lakes region includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Kentucky leads all other states in the region in its total investment value (TIV) for project kickoffs, much of it attributed to Braidy Industries Incorporated's (Ashland, Kentucky) $1.5 billion aluminum rolling mill in Argillite. The facility is expected to produce 370,000 tons per year of aluminum sheet and plate for automotive and aerospace products. The U.S. auto industry has been enjoying a recovery in the past few years, boosting demand for such aluminum products; Craig Bouchardm the chief executive officer (CEO) of Braidy Industries, is optimistic about the effects of the Trump administration's policies toward the industry, including current and proposed tariffs.
"I think that's a war we win," Bouchard told West Virginia's WCHS TV about a possible trade war caused by the tariffs. He said that about 85% of aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, but tariffs could force the construction of more domestic smelters. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
A very different opinion came from another company with a major project in the same state: Novelis Incorporated (Atlanta, Georgia), which is building a $300 million Aluminum Sheet Mill in Guthrie, Kentucky. The 200,000-ton-per-year facility will include heat-treatment and pre-treatment lines to produce sheet for use in cars, trucks and other vehicles. Marco Palmieri, president of Novelis North America, blamed ongoing pricing instability on Trump's policies.
"We have seen aluminum prices in the past higher than they are today, but what we don't like is the volatility, the uncertainty," Palmieri told the Financial Times. He added that the decision earlier this year to collect a 10% tariff on aluminum imports and issue sanctions against Russia's Rusal "exacerbated the impact." For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Michigan, often called the heart of the U.S. auto industry, is hosting one of the largest mining projects in the region: Michigan Potash Company LLC's $700 million mine and processing plant in Evart. The facility is designed to produce 800,000 tons per year of potash, a commonly used fertilizer, and 1 million tons per year of food-grade salt over a 200-year mine life. Potash salt would be extracted by pumping water or brine into targeted zones via wells.
The project took a step forward earlier this week when the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality granted permits for eight solution mining wells and three non-hazardous brine disposal wells at the facility, despite environmental opposition to the project, according to Michigan's m live. Michigan Potash CEO Theodore Pagano recently told the Detroit Free Press that Michigan's potash may be some of the purest in the world and could boost the state's economy by as much as $65 billion. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Illinois has both mining and steel-production projects on its slate. Knight Hawk Coal LLC (Percy, Illinois) is planning a $200 million life extension and expansion at the Blackhawk Coal Mine in Sparta, which the company says is one of the few active surface mines of a larger size in Illinois. Knight Hawk plans to expand Blackhawk into an adjacent reserve to extract coal from a pair of seams. Blackhawk currently has 12 million tons of reserves. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina), another major steel producer that supports Trump's tariffs, is planning a $180 million expansion of the Kankakee Steel Mill in Bourbonnais, Illinois, which will add 500,000 tons per year of production via the addition of a merchant bar quality mill. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report and March 5, 2018, article - U.S. Industry Sharply Divided on Trump's Tariff Plans; Steel Cheers, Manufacturers Recoil.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
