Lock Joint Tube Restarts and Expands Former Huntco Steel Mill

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). LJT-Tennessee, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Lock Joint Tube, Incorporated (South Bend, Indiana), has big plans for the former steel processing plant of Huntco Steel at 600 River Terminal Road in Chattanooga, Tennessee. LJT has restarted operations at the plant and will add steel tube manufacturing operations to the existing steel processing. LJT purchased the plant for $4.9 million from Huntco Steel in May. Huntco, which filed for bankruptcy back in February, has closed and/or liquidated several plants across the country.

JMS Processing, Incorporated (Hickman, Arkansas) acquired Huntco's steel processing plant in Blytheville, Arkansas.

The Chattanooga plant was constructed in 1994 at a cost of $8 million and then expanded to its current 112,500 square foot size. In addition to LJT's plans to add steel tube manufacturing, the company is also planning to add two 75,000 square foot building additions. LJT is currently adding a welded steel tube mill, which should be operating by October. A second tube mill will be relocated from one of LJT's other plants at a later date.