COLUMBUS, MS – This is a news release from the Mississippi Governor’s Office.
Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from Steel Dynamics, Inc. broke ground on the company’s new Paint Line and Galvalume® facility in Columbus, Miss. The project, which was announced in May 2015, represents a corporate investment of approximately $100 million and will create 40 jobs. Operations are expected to begin during the first quarter of 2017.
SDI’s Columbus location, the Flat Roll Group Columbus Division, was acquired from Severstal North America in September 2014. The acquisition increased SDI’s steel operations shipping capacity to 11 million tons per year. The facility produces sheet steel products consisting of hot roll, cold roll and coated steel products. The addition of the paint line and Galvalume® capabilities will allow SDI to produce additional value-added steel products at the Columbus location. The paint line is the most significant portion of the expansion with an annual coating capacity of 250,000 tons.
“Today is an historic day for Columbus and Lowndes County as SDI breaks ground on its new paint facility. Once complete, this significant capital investment and the jobs it is creating will have a tremendous effect on the local economy and the entire region,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “I look forward to returning to Columbus in early 2017 to celebrate the opening of this new state-of-the-art facility, and I congratulate everyone involved in making this expansion possible on this milestone event.”
“We are happy to report that the project is on schedule. Major equipment has been ordered and we expect to ramp-up hiring at the end of the second quarter 2016,” said Steel Dynamics CEO Mark Millett. “With the Paint Line and Galvalume® facilities, our Columbus Division will supply steel in widths up to 72 inches to serve our current and new customers in the South and Mexico that manufacture building panels, roofs, garage doors, air conditioners, heating furnaces, electrical fixtures and appliances.”
The Mississippi Development Authority provided assistance in support of the project for infrastructure improvements, rail construction and workforce training. Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors assisted with the project, as well.
“Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony signifies an important step toward 40 exciting new career opportunities for Mississippians in Lowndes County and the Golden Triangle region,” said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough, Jr. “We salute our talented partners at the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Lowndes County, TVA, ARC, and the Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority. Together, their teamwork with MDA helped make this project a success.”
Situated on a 1,400-acre site, SDI’s Columbus facility is a groundbreaking, high-tech electric arc furnace mini-mill capable of producing 3.4 million tons of steel annually. The plant covers 1.8 million square feet and features state-of-the-art steel manufacturing capabilities, including two electric arc furnaces, two ladle metallurgy furnaces, two vacuum degassers, two thin slab casters, a hot strip mill, pickle lines, an annealing line, a temper mill, two hot-dipped galvanizing lines, and a rewind/inspection line. The Columbus Division is currently the most technologically advanced EAF facility in North America.
