Steel Dynamics invested US$1.7 billion in 2023, mainly in its aluminum operations and steel operations segments.

To ponder: its investments fluctuated in the last five years between US$239 million and US$1.2 billion.

Steel Dynamics is currently executing its plan to invest US$2.7 billion in a new state-of-the-art, low-carbon recycled aluminum flat-rolled products plant.

The project includes two satellite recycled aluminum slab support centers.

How will the project be financed? From cash on hand and cash flow from operations. 

Related expenditures began in the third quarter of 2022 and are expected to continue through early 2025. 

Specifically, the company indicated that its $3.5 billion liquidity and expected future operating cash flow generation are sufficient to cover its projected capital needs through 2024.

Steel Dynamics

In 2022, the company announced its $2.7 billion project to build and operate a 650,000-metric-ton recycled aluminum flat-rolled products mill in Columbus, Mississippi, with two satellite recycled aluminum slab support centers. 

A significant number of its steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat-rolled products. 

Some customers have indicated to the company that they would like to share the Columbus mill location, improving cost efficiencies and reducing emissions throughout the supply chain. 

This investment will enable Steel Dynamics to expand its capacity to serve new and existing customers by adding high-quality, low-carbon flat-rolled aluminum to its product portfolio. 

With this, the mill’s product mix of flat-rolled products is expected to be approximately 45% can stock, 35% automotive, and 20% common and industrial-grade alloys. 

Recycling

The product offering will be supported by several value-added finishing lines, including CASH lines (heat treatment with continuous annealing solutions), continuous coating, and various slitting and packaging operations. 

The state-of-the-art recycled aluminum flat rolled products facility will utilize a significant amount of aluminum scrap and, as such, is also a complementary extension of the company’s metals recycling platform. 

The two satellite aluminum slab recycling centers are projected to start operations in late 2024 and mid-2025, and the recycled aluminum flat-rolled products plant is expected to start operations in mid-2025.