Steel Dynamics, Inc., sometimes abbreviated as "SDI", is an American
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
producer based in
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
With a production capacity of 13 million tons of steel, the company is the third largest producer of carbon steel products in the United States. It is among the most profitable American steel companies in terms of
profit margins and
operating margin per ton.
[
Based on its 2021 revenue, the company ranked 196th on the 2022 edition of the ]Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
.
History
Steel Dynamics was founded in 1993 by three former executives of Nucor with $370 million in funding. It began production at its $275 million Butler, Indiana, flat roll mill in 1996 and reported its first annual profit in 1997.
During the early 2000s recession, the company offered many incentive programs for employees to cut costs and improve standards and outperformed most other steel manufacturers.
In 2007, the company acquired The Techs, three hot-dip galvanization plants in Pittsburgh that coat flat-rolled steel, and OmniSource Corporation, a scrap metal processor and trader.
In 2014, the company acquired Severstal Columbus for $1.625 billion. The acquisition increased the company's production capacity to 11 million tons.
In 2016, the company acquired Vulcan Threaded Products for $126 million.
In 2016, the company began construction of a $100 million facility in Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwa ...
.
In 2017, the company began a $28 million expansion of its Roanoke Bar Division.
In 2017, the company began a $75 million expansion of its Structural and Rail Division.
In 2018, the company acquired the former Kentucky Electric Steel plant in Coalton, Kentucky
Coalton is an unincorporated community situated along U.S. Route 60, which was formerly known as the Midland Trail (before 1925) in western Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. U.S. Route 60 between Rush and Cannonsburg. Coalton is a part of ...
.
in 2020, production for the Sinton,TX facility commenced. It is a 2,400-acre complex which is supposed to also house several other businesses who work with SDI in other cities. 3,000 jobs should be created when complete.
Controversies
Environmental damage
In 2021, the company agreed to pay $475,000 and spend $3 million to upgrade air pollution control equipment to reduce air emissions at its facilities in Butler, Indiana to after allegations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that the company was violating the Clean Air Act of 1963.
Price-fixing allegations
The company was accused in a lawsuit of participating in a conspiracy with other steel manufacturers to restrict steel production in 2008. In October 2016, the company settled the case, agreeing to pay $4.6 million.
See also
* List of steel producers
Further reading
* Richard Sarver - ''Taking the Heat - A Steelworker's Story'' (2012)
References
External links
*
{{authority control, state=expanded
Steel companies of the United States
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
Companies established in 1993
Companies based in Fort Wayne, Indiana
1996 initial public offerings