Charter Steel today announced plans to build a new Special Bar Quality (SBQ) bar
mill adjacent to its existing coil mill and steelmaking operations in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. The highly automated rolling mill will utilize precision sizing to produce diameters from .750 to 3.250 inches (19 to 83mm) in bar lengths from 12 to 50 feet (3.7 to 15.3m). Company leaders said the project, which will not interrupt existing steel coil operations, will support Charter Steel’s desire to serve new markets, and will add production flexibility for the benefit of its existing and prospective new customers.
The new mill represents an investment of $150 million and is expected to be online in the second half of 2018, said John W. Mellowes, CEO of parent company Charter Manufacturing Company, Inc. The project will create about 25 jobs and represents the largest single investment in the family owned company’s 81 year history.
“Growth and continuous improvement are in Charter’s DNA,” Mellowes said. “We see an
opportunity here to grow by leveraging a very successful high service model, coupled with advanced steelmaking, to serve both existing and prospective new customers with an engineered, cut length bar.
“That said,” Mellowes continued, “we will be forever fastened to our loyal coiled rod and coiled bar customers. In fact, as part of this project, we will also be adding new coil finishing assets that will enhance our coil package, our surface quality and the flexibility to roll more sizes more often coiled or straight.”
Charter Steel has produced SBQ coiled rod and coiled bar products in Cuyahoga Heights since 2002. Since 2006, the company has invested more than $250 million to bring new steelmaking assets and technology to the site that includes an electric arc furnace, ladle metallurgical refinement, deep vacuum tank degassing and an advanced billet caster producing a 7×7 inch (180x180mm) semi finished product. Today, Charter Steel is producing highly engineered steels for sophisticated applications in the Aerospace, Bearing, Cold Heading, Free Machining and High Quality Spring markets. A melt capacity increase from a series of recent investments and productivity gains from continuous improvement projects will provide the additional steel for the new bar mill. Construction of the new mill is expected to begin this spring.
