Commercial Metals Company (CMC) acquired all the assets of metal recycling company Roane Metals Group LLC (Roane). Roane is capable of processing approximately 85,000 tons of ferrous and nonferrous materials annually at its two facilities in Tennessee. The majority of volumes relate to obsolete ferrous scrap grades consumed by CMC's long product mills. The acquired assets are expected to enhance the security and supply of competitively priced inputs to CMC's steelmaking operations.

Commercial Metals Company (CMC) completed the acquisition of a Texas-based metal recycling facility and related assets from Kodiak Resources Inc. and Kodiak Properties. The acquired operation annually processes approximately 55,000 tons of ferrous and nonferrous materials, with the majority of volumes related to obsolete ferrous scrap grades consumed by CMC's long product mills. The transaction is expected to enhance the security and supply of competitively priced inputs to CMC's steelmaking operations.

SECO/WARWICK Group signed an agreement with Sweden’s GreenIron H2 AB for the delivery of a series of furnaces for fossil-free metal production from ore, residuals and waste recycling. The furnaces ordered by GreenIron will be used to recycle oxidized metals without emissions. They will directly contribute to CO₂ emission reduction. Each furnace has the capacity to reduce emissions by 56,000 metric tons/year, according to GreenIron.

Steel Dynamics Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the equity interest of Roca Acero S.A. de C.V. (Roca). Headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, Roca operates a ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals recycling business. The company’s primary operations are comprised of four scrap processing facilities strategically positioned near high-volume industrial scrap sources located throughout central and northern Mexico. These combined facilities currently ship approximately 575,000 gross tons of scrap annually and have an estimated annual processing capability of approximately 850,000 gross tons.

Resiliency concerns revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic are driving companies to embrace sustainable manufacturing for post-pandemic supply chains. Supply-chain sustainability is the management of environmental, social and economic impacts. Reshoring checks all of the sustainability boxes since it reduces environmental impact, has a positive societal effect and stimulates economic activity. 

Since January is the month we try to focus on new technologies and products impacting the thermal-processing industry, let’s take a look at some recent news items that have come across my desk (or rather appeared in my inbox).

Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. successfully restarted production at its Cascade Steel Rolling Mills in McMinnville, Ore. The company also entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of Columbus Recycling in the southeast region of the United States. Cascade restarted production following the completion of replacement and repairs of property and equipment at the mill’s melt shop, which had been lost or damaged by a fire on May 22, 2021. Cascade has resumed operations with a full workforce and is accepting orders for its full range of finished steel products based on the rolling schedule.

American Resources Corp. announced the expansion of its wholly owned subsidiary, American Metals LLC, and the selection of its currently owned Deane Mining facility in Letcher County, Ky., as its initial rail load-out and logistics location for processed metals. American Metals is expanding its current metal-recovery business and will aggregate, process and transport used steel to be recycled and sold to traditional and electric-arc-furnace (EAF) steelmaking facilities. The company will utilize the existing infrastructure at its Deane Mining facility, which has the ability to haul and aggregate metal from a range of locations.

Most readers make stuff from metals or make equipment to make that stuff. So, let’s look at what and where we get some of the more unusual metals, most of which are scarce and costly.