Steel Dynamics to upgrade Ohio joist plant

With the incentive of a state-offered tax credit, Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) will invest $14.1 million to upgrade its plant in Continental, Ohio. The Ohio plant, operated by SDI subsidiary New Millennium Building Systems, manufactures steel joists. In addition, New Millennium operates another joist plant in Butler, Ohio. SDI had considered consolidating its operations at Continental and Butler at the Butler location. However, on Monday, after the state of Ohio offered a job creation tax credit of $52,886 over seven years, New Millennium opted to keep the Continental plant. With the investment, SDI will supply the Continental mill with new machinery, expand the warehouse by 66,000 square feet and construct a 12,000-square-foot administration building, according to a statement from the Ohio Department of Development. Completion is tentatively scheduled for mid-2007. Art Ullom, general plant manager for the Butler and Continental plants, told the press that the expansion of the Continental plant would not affect the status of the Butler plant adversely. “The Continental plant and the Butler plant will work closely together, and we think there's enough work for the both of them,” Mr. Ullom said.