Nucor shuttering Chicago tubular facility

A Nucor spokeswoman confirmed on Monday the Charlotte, N.C.-based steelmaker is restructuring its tubular products business. This includes ending operations at its Chicago production facility.

“The hollow structural steel (HSS) tube market has evolved in recent years, particularly in the smaller-size segment produced at the NTP Chicago facility,” the spokeswoman said in a statement to SMU on Monday.

She noted that as part of the company’s long-term growth strategy, Nucor recently opened a “state-of-the-art tube facility” in Kentucky.

“This new facility, along with our existing NTP facilities in Illinois and Alabama, enables us to produce a broader range of products,” the spokeswoman added.

Nucor plans to maintain a Nucor Tubular Products sales and administrative office in the Chicago area.

“We are working with affected production teammates to find other opportunities within our company,” the spokeswoman said.

Background

The Chicago plant was opened in 1972 as Independence Tube Corp.’s first location, according to Nucor’s website.

Recall that Nucor acquired Independence Tube in 2016 for $435 million. Independence was then a leading independent manufacturer of hollow structural sections (HSS), a type of steel tubing widely used in construction.

Nucor went on to acquire other independent steel tube producers. They included Birmingham, Ala.-based Southland Tube (2016 for $130 million), Republic Conduit (2016 for $335 million), and Hannibal Industries (2021 for $370 million).

One of the goals of that $1.27-billion buying spree was to provide a value-added home to hot-rolled coil produced by Nucor’s steel mills.