Arkansas Continuous ERW Tube Mill to Support Oil & Gas, Infrastructure, Construction

A major independent North American steel manufacturer recently announced it will build a continuous ERW tube mill in Blytheville, Arkansas, to provide support for infrastructure applications such as oil & gas pipelines and bridges as well as structural support for buildings such as airports, stadiums, mega warehouses, and large distribution centers.

Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries

According to Zekelman Industries, this facility, built on property adjacent to its existing Atlas Tube mill, will be the world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill.

“We’re very excited to continue investing in a community we’ve proudly called home,” said Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries. “Having two mills within close proximity of each other will only increase our organization’s efficiency. We look forward to starting construction of this groundbreaking facility.”

The Blytheville mill, Atlas Tube’s sixth mill in North America and its fifth in the United States, will produce HSS and pipe piling to meet or exceed ASTM A500, ASTM A1085, CSA G40, and ASTM A252 standards. Startup of the new mill is scheduled for September 2021.

Photo credit: Zekelman Industries, video still

Plans for “Largest Continuous ERW Tube Mill”

May 27, 2019 / MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A Chicago-based manufacturer recently announced the construction of “the world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill,” according to the project’s supplier.

Capable of producing hollow structural sections (HSS) with a size range of 8″ square x 0.750″ wall up to 22″ square x 1″ wall, the new mill, operated by Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, will produce square, rectangular, and round structural sections in the mill. The largest rectangular section will be 34″ x 10″ x 1″ wall, and the largest round section will be 28″ OD x 1″ wall. The new mill will produce products to meet or exceed ASTM A500, ASTM A1085, CSA G40 and ASTM A252. This will be the first time ERW sections above 16″ square will be available domestically.

The mill will also be engineered to allow for world-leading full change-over times of less than 60 minutes, as well as special forming and sizing technology for precise dimensional tolerance. Zekelman Industries selected SMS as the supplier for the mill, Kusakabe for the milling cut-off, and Mair for the material handling and packaging line.

The total project investment is over $150 million — the largest private investment in the U.S. steel industry in the last decade. Frank Lagac, sales manager of welded pipe plants at SMS, noted that it will be the “world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill.”

“At Zekelman, we continue with our long-standing goal of creating, not waiting for, the future, said Barry Zekelman, CEO of Zekelman Industries.

“Over the past few years, we have seen the increasing need for larger, domestically produced HSS in the bridge, transportation, and building markets,” said Tom Muth, president of Atlas Tube. “Also, HSS with thicker walls that meet the more stringent width-to-thickness ratio requirements of the AISC Seismic Provisions are in greater demand for lateral bracing systems.”

Brad Fletcher, senior sales engineer for Atlas Tube

“This new mill gives structural engineers new tools to meet the demands of designing and building cost-efficient and safe steel structures,” said Brad Fletcher, senior sales engineer for Atlas Tube.

Main image photo credit: SMS Group

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Barry Zekelman

Arkansas Continuous ERW Tube Mill to Support Oil & Gas, Infrastructure, Construction

Plans for “Largest Continuous ERW Tube Mill”

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