The Columbus Flat Roll Division of Steel Dynamics Inc. will invest $140 million to add a continuous hot-dip galvanizing line at its plant in Columbus, Miss. The line, designed and manufactured by Fives, will be capable of producing 400,000 tons per year of unexposed automotive steel grades and specialized steel grades. Fives’ scope of supply includes a horizontal annealing furnace, hot-dip galvanizing and cooling equipment, inspection and metallurgical assistance for different steel grades, and construction and commissioning support.

The new line is expected to be commissioned in the middle of 2020. SDI previously contracted Fives to upgrade an existing continuous galvanizing line at the same facility in August 2018 to increase production capacity.

According to SDI, the Flat Roll Columbus Division mill is capable of producing 3.4 million tons of steel in total annually. The plant covers more than 1 million ft² and already includes a range of steel manufacturing technologies: two electric arc furnaces (EAFs), two ladle metallurgy furnaces, two vacuum degassers, two thin slab casters, a hot strip mill, pickle lines, an annealing line, temper mill, two hot-dipped galvanizing lines and a rewind/inspection line.

SDI’s Columbus Division supplies the automotive, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy and machinery industries.