Steel Mills

JSW to Modernize Baytown Plate Mill

June 20, 2017

JSW Steel (USA) has received approval from its board for a full-scale modernization of its Baytown, Texas, steel plate mill. The project is expected to take 20 months to complete and will result in a fully modern discrete plate mill with significantly more product offerings.

“While perfecting the unique plate and contiguous pipe mill facility in Baytown over the last two years, our engineering teams have been concurrently working to design the ‘Plate Mill of the Future,'” said John Hritz, president and chief executive officer of JSW Steel (USA). The mill upgrade will be done by Danieli, a world leader in steelmaking technology.

The modernization is the first phase of a much larger project for JSW (USA). The second phase will be a state-of-the-art melting and casting facility, location to be determined. If the second phase is implemented, it will create 500 new jobs over three years and align with the Trump administration goal for national security and economic growth. The facility would supply the defense department, as well as producing energy pipeline and supporting domestic infrastructure projects, the company said.

“With this modernization, JSW (USA) will become a low-cost producer of exceptional, high-quality plate and will be able to significantly increase market share in the ever-strong U.S. market,” said JSW (USA) Director Parth Jindal. “With the thrust on manufacturing back, JSW feels there is no better time to invest in the U.S. market. The JSW Group’s consideration to invest in JSW Steel (USA)’s expansion represents a vote of confidence in the future of U.S. manufacturing.”