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Zekelman Industries Opening New Galvanized Tube Plant Near Chicago

Written by Laura Miller

September 12, 2022

Zekelman Industries’ newest tubular products facility will soon be up and running outside of Chicago.

The 1-million-square-foot facility in Rochelle, Ill., will house four in-line galvanizing tube mills with a capacity exceeding 300,000 tons annually. An automated hot-dip galvanizing line with 100,000 tons of annual production capacity is also being added to the facility.

“While initial production has already started on two of the high-speed in-line galvanization mills, we will be working through the end of this year to complete installation and commissioning,” said Tom Muth, executive vice president and COO of Zekelman’s tube and pipe division.

Full operations at the mill, Zekelman’s 18th factory, are scheduled to begin in January 2023.

“When fully operational, these mills will be the fastest in the world, feeding directly into the factory’s automated warehouse to deliver the highest quality products and solutions to customers,” including the company’s customers at Wheatland Tube, Western Tube, and Picoma, the company said in a statement.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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