Steel Mills Drive Maintenance Projects at U.S. Metals & Minerals Facilities in Second Quarter

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. steel market is seeing a revival, as policies from the Trump administration continue to favor the domestic upstream sector. More growth means more units and facilities, all of which will require regular maintenance to stay productive and profitable. Industrial Info is tracking nearly 100 maintenance-related projects in the U.S. Metals & Minerals Industry that are set to begin this quarter, more than one-third of which are attributed to the steel-manufacturing sector.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing maintenance-related projects at U.S. Metals & Minerals facilities that are set to kick off through the end of June, by industry sector.

Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina), the largest steel producer in the U.S., is hosting a series of maintenance projects across the southern U.S., including three in the Carolinas.

In Arkansas, Nucor is at work on shutdowns at its Hickman Steel Sheet Plant in Blytheville, covering a pair of one-week periods at the 3 million-ton-per-year facility, and a shutdown at its steel mill in Armorel, which includes a 2.5 million-ton-per-year mill and a 675,000-ton-per-year strip-casting unit. Following a first quarter of solid corporate growth, Nucor expects to expand capacity significantly at both Arkansas facilities. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Cofield, Huger, Darlington, Blytheville and Armorel projects, and April 24, 2019, article - Nucor Rides Steel Industry's Growth Wave with $5 Billion Worth of Projects, Including U.S. Expansions.

Although the smelting sector accounts for a smaller number of maintenance projects for the current quarter when compared with the steel-manufacturing sector, its projects carry higher investment values on average. The largest is Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RIO) (London, England) subsidiary Kennecott Utah Copper LLC's shutdown at the Garfield Copper Smelter and Cogeneration Plant in Magna, Utah.

Among the other Metals & Mineral Industry sectors, cement manufacturing is looking at a healthy number of maintenance projects, including HeidelbergCement AG subsidiary Lehigh Hanson Incorporated's (Irving, Texas) facility in Logansport, Indiana, which it expects to begin toward the end of the quarter. Careful maintenance has made the Logansport facility an envied workplace: The Portland Cement Association recently awarded it one of its Chairman's Safety Performance Awards. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

On the mining side, Freeport-McMoRan Incorporated (NYSE:FCX) (Phoenix, Arizona) is planning a pair of maintenance projects in Arizona. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Bagdad and Safford projects.

Last year, Freeport-McMoran's exploration drilling turned up a "significant resource" at its Lone Star project near the Safford, according to a recent press release; an initial project to develop Lone Star's leachable ores began early last year, with first production expected by the end of next year.

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/.