Big River Steel, the Osceola, Arkansas-based technology business 'that just happens to be a steel company' is well on the way to completing its second phase expansion, according to a recent interview given by CEO Dave Stickler to Argus Media.
Asked for an update on plans to expand the Osceola mill, Stickler responded: " We laid out our mill site to accommodate a doubling of capacity, so after having success and an opportunity to access the capital markets, we went about and decided to invest an incremental $700mn to double our hot-rolled capacity. That project was originally scheduled to start up at the end of January 2021, and I'm pleased to say that it's my full expectation that we will start up in November or December of this year."
He told Argus Media that there are plans to build a facility that will give BRS new capabilities. "We'll build a paint line targeted at the high-end appliance market and an additional galvanizing line that will be even more focused on high-end automotive applications. We will have an anneal coating line and reversing cold mill that will allow us to fully process non-grain oriented electrical steels that go into hybrid and electric vehicles, and we will also have on-site slitting and blanking."
According to Stickler, production technology companies have been selected and the company is now in the fundraising process 'subject to receiving our permits and other final approvals'.