Nucor to add galvanizing facility to Decatur plant
Nucor Steel Decatur LLC plans to build a galvanizing facility so that the existing Decatur plant can supply galvanized steel to the construction, automotive, and appliance industries. Decatur General Manager Rex Query said that the target project startup date is September 2006. He estimates the facility will require a capital investment of as much as $200 million and would employ as many as 75 new workers. The Decatur plant, a cold mill finishing operation that prepares coils for end-use customers such as construction companies and auto manufacturers, would no longer have to ship the products outside Decatur for galvanizing. “We're just rounding out the capabilities of the Decatur mill,” said John Ferriola, Nucor's executive vice president. Mr. Query said that as part of the company's galvanizing line, the new facility could help support Nucor's recently acquired Nucon, a commercial and residential construction company in Texas which specializes in steel-frame and steel-stud buildings. Nucor has a large presence in the Southeast US, with three sheet, three cold rolled, and two galvanizing mills. However, Nucor believes there is still room for more. Mr. Ferriola said, “Our growth in the Southeast has been strong, and we are positioning ourselves to further service that market with more value-added products."