filings.toolsItem 1. BUSINESS
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Item 1. BUSINESS
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Steel Dynamics, Inc. is one of the largest domestic steel producers and metal recyclers in the United States, based on estimated steelmaking and steel coating capacity of approximately 16 million tons and actual metals recycling volumes as of December 31, 2023, with one of the most diversified product and end market portfolios in the domestic steel industry, combined with meaningful downstream steel fabrication operations. The company’s primary sources of revenue are currently from the manufacture and sale of steel products, the processing and sale of recycled ferrous and nonferrous metals, and the fabrication and sale of steel joists and deck products.
We refer to our founding principles as our six core strategic pillars. They bring us together with a common focus, and they provide the foundation upon which we operate and grow. Our unique entrepreneurial culture and business model benefit us operationally, financially, and through the responsible use of our resources in diverse economic environments. Innovation in all forms is essential to our success, and our teams focus on how to do things “smarter” within our current operations, as well as how we continue to grow. This means creating solutions for our teammates, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. It also includes finding ways to “do business” with fewer resources and less environmental impact. Our six strategic pillars and the team’s execution of them each day has driven our success and sustainability.
| ● | Health & Safety – Safety is our primary focus and core value. Nothing surpasses the importance of creating and maintaining a safe work environment. Our goal is zero injuries—no accidents. |
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| ● | Entrepreneurial Culture – Fosters a team of energetic, positive, driven, innovative and diverse individuals by utilizing open communication and meaningful performance-based compensation aligned to our strategic focus. |
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| ● | Customer Commitment – We focus on being a preferred partner of our customers by providing quality products and unique supply chain solutions to meet their current and future needs. |
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| ● | Strategic Sustainable Growth – We focus on strategic growth with intentional margin expansion and consistency through-the-cycle. |
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| ● | Innovation – Through individual creativity and ingenuity, our teams drive innovation to improve safety, quality, productivity, and resource sustainability. We strive to provide unique, superior products, customer supply chain solutions, and next-generation technologies and processes. |
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| ● | Financial Strength – Through our adaptable value-added product diversification, vertically connected businesses model, coupled with our highly variable operating cost structure and performance-based incentive compensation, along with our continued operating innovations and efficiency, we achieve higher utilization and lower costs, which provide strong cash flow generation through both strong and weak market cycles. |
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Differentiated Model - Uniquely Steel Dynamics
Competitively advantaged differentiation is core to our long-term value creation strategy. We set ourselves apart in every aspect of our business with a spirit of excellence.
Unique Entrepreneurial Culture
Our entrepreneurial culture is at the core of our success and is driven by our extensive performance-based incentive compensation philosophy from those on the plant floor to our senior leadership. Over 60% of a production team member’s total potential compensation is “at risk” to both quality production and cost-effectiveness metrics. Over 85% of our senior leadership team’s total potential compensation is “at risk” to companywide financial performance metrics that encourage long-term value creation, including return on equity, growth, cash generation, and return on invested capital measures. We believe diversity within our teams enhances broad-based thinking, innovation, and value creation. Our common goal of consistently achieving excellence in all we do is reflected in the esprit de corps that permeates our team.
Diversified, Value-Added Product Offerings and Supply-Chain Solutions
We have one of the most diversified, high-margin product offerings within the domestic steel industry. We have a track record of profitable growth, driving diversification in both end markets and value-added product offerings to sustain higher volume and profitability through varying market environments. Over 70% of our steel and steel fabrication sales are considered value-added. Throughout our history and today, we seek to provide unique supply-chain alternatives for our customers to increase efficiency, reduce time and costs, and promote decarbonization opportunities. Growing with our customers in this way has proven to be invaluable in creating long-lasting relationships and product development.
The majority of our steelmaking operations are in locations near sustainable sources of scrap metals and near our customer base, allowing us to realize freight savings for inbound scrap as well as for outbound steel products destined for our customers. This also allows us to provide consistent on-time delivery to our customer base with relatively short lead times, further solidifying our customer relationships.
This diversified portfolio of products enables us to access a broad range of markets, serve a large customer base, and helps mitigate our market exposure to any one product or sector, resulting in increased through-cycle steel mill utilization. In addition, our value-added steel product offerings help to balance our exposure to commodity grade products supplied by other steel manufacturers. We will continue to seek additional opportunities, such as entering into the recycled aluminum flat rolled products market, and to collaborate with our customers to anticipate their future needs by further expanding our range of products and offerings.
Our Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division (Sinton) is a prime example of our internal growth and differentiated business model. This electric arc furnace (EAF) flat roll steel mill has approximately 3.0 million tons of annual steel production capacity, currently including two value-added coating lines comprised of a galvanizing line with annual coating capacity of 550,000 tons with galvalume capability, and a paint line with annual coating capacity of 250,000 tons. We are also currently building four additional value-added flat roll steel coating lines comprised of an additional paint line and galvanizing line located onsite at Sinton and a paint line and galvanizing line at our Heartland Flat Roll Division. These new coating lines are expected to begin operating in early 2024.
As with all our growth initiatives, we seek to competitively differentiate ourselves through service, product capability and quality, and supply-chain solutions. Sinton is a “next-generation” EAF flat roll steel mill, which has the capability to provide higher-strength, tougher grades of flat roll steel for the energy and automotive markets. These ultra-high-strength steel products are not currently readily available from other domestic steel producers. Sinton is adhering to the same sustainability model as our other steelmaking facilities, utilizing state-of-the-art environmental controls and processes to produce high quality sustainable steel. Sinton was fully commissioned during the first half of 2022, and operations have continued to ramp up as the team navigated unexpected challenges related to equipment during 2023.
Vertically Connected Businesses and Pull-Through Volume Advantage
Our vertically connected businesses contribute to our higher through-cycle steel production and overall profitability. Our internal manufacturing businesses are a significant competitive advantage supporting higher and more stable through-cycle earnings and cash flow generation. Our steel fabrication operations and downstream processing locations
use a significant amount of steel in their operations. During weaker steel demand environments, we can source more of their steel needs internally, and during strong steel demand environments, we have the option to also purchase their steel needs externally. Ultimately, we optimize our companywide profitability and minimize earnings volatility. In 2023, our own steel consuming businesses purchased 1.8 million tons of steel from our steel mills, representing 14% of our total 2023 steel shipments.
A strategic and synergistic relationship also exists between our steel mills and metals recycling operations. Our metals recycling platform is the largest supplier of recycled ferrous scrap to our steel operations and is expected to be the largest supplier of recycled nonferrous scrap to our aluminum operations. This allows us to reduce companywide working capital, as lower scrap volume is required at our steel mills. We are also able to source higher-quality scrap for our steel mills, optimizing cost and quality.
Technically Advanced, Low-Cost, Highly-Efficient Operations
We operate some of the most technically advanced and environmentally responsible steel mills in the world. Our steel mills generate a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) per ton of steel produced as compared to traditional blast furnace steel production and the average global steel industry. Our value-added product diversification, vertically connected businesses, and performance-based incentive compensation programs support our efficient, environmentally responsible, and competitively advantaged footprint. Coupled with our low-cost, highly variable operating cost structure and our continued operating innovation and efficiency, we are one of the most profitable and lowest-cost domestic steel producers.
Transformational Growth / New Recycled Aluminum Flat Rolled Products Mill
In 2022, we announced our $2.7 billion project to construct and operate a 650,000 metric ton recycled aluminum flat rolled products mill in Columbus, Mississippi, with two supporting satellite recycled aluminum slab centers. A significant number of our steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat rolled products. We have had customers indicate that they would like to co-locate on the rolling mill site in Columbus, enhancing cost efficiencies and reducing emissions across the supply chain. This investment will allow us to broaden our ability to serve both our existing and new customers by adding high-quality, low-carbon flat rolled aluminum to our product portfolio. The product mix from the flat rolled products mill is expected to be approximately 45% can stock, 35% automotive, and 20% common alloy and industrial use. The product offering will be supported by various value-added finishing lines, including CASH (continuous annealing solutions heat treating) lines, continuous coating, and various slitting and packaging operations. The state-of-the-art recycled aluminum flat rolled products mill 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 recycling aluminum slab centers are expected to begin operations in late 2024 and mid-2025, and the recycled aluminum flat rolled products mill is expected to begin commissioning in mid-2025. Our unique performance-based operating culture, coupled with our experience in successfully constructing and operating cost-effective, highly profitable carbon flat roll steel mills, positions us exceptionally well to execute strategic opportunities and to deliver strong long-term value creation.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a part of our long-term value creation strategy. We are dedicated to our people, our communities and our environment. We are committed to operating our business with the highest integrity and have been since our founding. We only produce steel using EAF technology with recycled ferrous scrap as the primary raw material. This method of steelmaking emits approximately one-third of the Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions and uses less than one-quarter of the energy of the global blast furnace steelmaking averages on a per metric ton basis. We believe EAF production is the best commercially available steelmaking, is the most cost efficient, and provides the most flexibility, and as such, has been our method of growth for our steel operations. We encourage the use of new technologies and processes to reduce our impact on the environment, including a strategic focus on lowering carbon emissions. We are taking further action to reduce our environmental footprint through our 2025, 2030, and 2050 goals for GHG emissions reduction and increased renewable energy usage.
We intentionally developed a vertically connected operating model, further strengthening our company. Our metals recycling platform collects and processes scrap from manufacturing and end-of-life items, such as automobiles, appliances, and machinery. This processed scrap is then sold to end-users for reuse, including our EAF steel mills, which produce new steel from the scrapped material. Our steel is then sold to consumers that both further process and manufacture end products. We sell a meaningful amount of steel to our own manufacturing businesses that in turn sell finished products to consumers. Ultimately, when these products reach the end of their useful lives, they can be collected as scrap and used again in our steelmaking operations, creating our circular manufacturing model.
Our growth strategy focuses on increasing through-cycle cash generation and providing growth opportunities for our people, partners, communities, and shareholders, all while keeping the sustainability of resources and carbon impact in focus.
We endeavor for continuous improvement in decarbonization, while maintaining compliance with regulated emission limits. We evaluate our GHG emissions by regularly reviewing furnace performance and efficiency. We analyze the latest available technologies to also determine whether emissions can be further lowered. In 2022, we announced a strategic joint venture, SDI Biocarbon Solutions, LLC. The joint venture, which is in the process of construction, will operate a biocarbon production facility in Columbus, Mississippi and is planned to supply our EAF steel mills with a renewable product alternative to anthracite used in our steelmaking operations. The facility is expected to produce up to 228,000 metric tons per year, which could result in as much as an estimated 35% reduction in our steel mills’ Scope 1 GHG emissions. Operations are planned to begin in late 2024.
Experienced Leadership Team / Fosters an Entrepreneurial Culture
Our senior leadership team is highly experienced and has a proven track record in the steel, metals recycling, and steel fabrication industries, as well as in the construction and start-up of new operations. Our leadership objectives are closely aligned with our stakeholders through meaningful stock ownership positions and performance-based incentive compensation programs that are correlated to the company’s profitability and operational performance in relationship to our steel manufacturing peers. We emphasize decentralized operational decision making and responsibility, while continuing to maintain appropriate corporate governance and risk oversight. We reward teamwork, innovation, and operating efficiency, and focus on maintaining the effectiveness of our performance-driven incentive bonus plans that are designed to maximize overall productivity and align the interests of our leadership and teams with our stakeholders.
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| Name | | Age | | Position |
| Mark D. Millett | | 64 | | Co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer |
| Theresa E. Wagler | | 53 | | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Secretary |
| Barry T. Schneider | | 55 | | President and Chief Operating Officer |
| Miguel Alvarez | | 56 | | Senior Vice President, Metals Recycling |
| James S. Anderson | | 63 | | Senior Vice President, Steel Fabrication |
| Chris A. Graham | | 59 | | Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group |
| Richard A. Poinsatte | | 57 | | Senior Vice President and Treasurer |
| Glenn A. Pushis | | 58 | | Senior Vice President, Special Projects |
Mark D. Millett co-founded the Company in 1993. Mr. Millett has been our Board Chair since May 2021 and has been our Chief Executive Officer since January 2012. Prior to that, he has held various positions within the Company, including President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President of Metals Recycling and Ferrous Resources, and Executive Vice President of Flat Roll Operations. Mr. Millett was responsible for the design, construction, and start-up operation of all of our steel mills, including our Butler, Indiana flat roll, melting, and casting operations. Mr. Millett serves as Past Chairman of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA). During 2019, Mr. Millett was named the recipient of the James F. Collins Achievement in Advocacy Award by the SMA. In 2014 and 2022, Mr. Millet was named Steelmaker of the Year by the Association of Iron and Steel Technology. Mr. Millett earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgy from the University of Surrey, England.
Theresa E. Wagler has been our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary since May 2007. Ms. Wagler joined the Steel Dynamics corporate finance team in 1998, and has held various finance and accounting positions, including Chief Accounting Officer and Vice President and Corporate Controller. She is responsible for and oversees accounting and taxation, treasury, risk management, legal, information technology and cybersecurity, human resources, decarbonization strategy, and strategic business development functions, as well as, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, and corporate communications. Ms. Wagler also has various operational responsibilities directly overseeing two operating joint ventures. Prior to joining Steel Dynamics, Ms. Wagler was a certified public accountant with Ernst & Young LLP. She graduated cum laude from Taylor University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and systems analysis. In addition, Ms. Wagler serves as a director, chair of the audit committee, and a member of the environmental sustainability and community committee of CF Industries Holdings, Inc., a public company, and also serves as a trustee for Trine University and director for the Metals Service Center Institute.
Barry T. Schneider was appointed our President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2023. Mr. Schneider is responsible for the company’s steel platform, steel fabrication platform, and metals recycling platform. Before that, Mr. Schneider served as our Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group, between March 2016 and February 2023, responsible for the company’s entire flat roll steel operations, including the company’s three flat roll steel mills and numerous flat roll processing, coating, and distribution operations. Before that, Mr. Schneider served in various operational and leadership roles within the company’s steel operations, including our Engineered Bar Products Division and Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana, in 1994. Mr. Schneider earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science in engineering management from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He also received an Executive Certificate in Technology, Operations, and Value Chain Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition, Mr. Schneider serves as president for the Association of Iron & Steel Technology.
Miguel Alvarez has been our Senior Vice President, Metals Recycling since March 2022. In this role, Mr. Alvarez is responsible for OmniSource’s ferrous and nonferrous metals recycling operations including marketing, trading and logistics activities. Prior to this role, Mr. Alvarez served as Senior Vice President, Southwest United States and Mexico, since February 2019. Prior to joining Steel Dynamics, Mr. Alvarez served in leadership positions at BlueScope; this included leading BlueScope’s North American metal buildings business with manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico, and being responsible for BlueScope’s only North American electric arc furnace flat roll steel mill as President of North Star BlueScope Steel. Mr. Alvarez earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA from Tecnológico de Monterrey, México.
James S. Anderson has been our Senior Vice President, Steel Fabrication since March 2022. Previously, Mr. Anderson served as Vice President, Steel Fabrication and President of New Millennium Building Systems. In this role, Mr. Anderson is responsible for the company's steel fabrication operations. Prior to that, Mr. Anderson served as the Chief Operating Officer of New Millennium Building Systems, and was the general manager of The Techs three flat roll galvanizing lines. Mr. Anderson earned a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from Grove City College and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
Christopher A. Graham was appointed our Senior Vice President, Flat Roll Steel Group in October 2023. Mr. Graham is responsible for the company’s entire flat rolled steel operations, including the company’s three flat roll steel mills and numerous flat roll processing, coating, and distribution operations. Before that, Mr. Graham served as our Senior Vice President, Long Products Steel Group. In this role, Mr. Graham was responsible for the company’s four long product steel mills, along with a downstream finishing operation and the company’s copper rod manufacturing facility. Prior to that, Mr. Graham served as Senior Vice President, Downstream Manufacturing and President of New Millennium Building Systems, responsible for the company’s steel fabrication and downstream manufacturing operations, and other operational and leadership roles. Mr. Graham was also a part of the team that constructed the company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana, in 1994. Mr. Graham earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Western Governors University and an MBA from the University of Saint Francis. In addition, Mr. Graham completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program in 2017.
Richard A. Poinsatte was appointed to Senior Vice President in October 2023 and as Treasurer is responsible for the areas of treasury, legal, business development, and risk. Mr. Poinsatte joined Steel Dynamics in 2000, as the Chief Financial Officer of one of the company’s joint venture businesses, which is now part of the steel fabrication platform. During his time with Steel Dynamics, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, including the operating position of General Manager of the company’s Florida steel fabrication plant. Since 2008, he has been responsible for the company’s treasury, risk, and legal applications. Mr. Poinsatte earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame, and he is a certified public accountant.
Glenn A. Pushis has been our Senior Vice President, Special Projects, since February 2019. Mr. Pushis is responsible for the successful design and construction of the company’s new 650,000 metric ton state-of-the-art lower-carbon, recycled aluminum flat rolled products mill in Columbus, Mississippi with two satellite recycled aluminum slab centers in the Southwestern United States and Northcentral Mexico. From 2019 until 2022, Mr. Pushis was responsible for the successful design and construction of the Company’s new Southwest-Sinton Flat Roll Division developed to serve the Southwestern United States and Mexico. He has extensive experience in this capacity and has been instrumental in numerous construction projects for Steel Dynamics since its founding. Prior to that, Mr. Pushis served as Senior Vice President, Long Products Steel Group, responsible for the company’s four long product steel mills. Mr. Pushis has been with Steel Dynamics since 1994, holding various operational and leadership roles, including roles within the Engineered Bar Products Division and the Butler Flat Roll Division. He was also part of the team that constructed the company’s first steel mill in Butler, Indiana, in 1994. Mr. Pushis earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and his MBA from Indiana University.
Human Capital / Valuing People
We value the dedicated people whose passion, innovation, and spirit of excellence have helped successfully grow our company and serve our customers. We have a culture of transparency and trust, fostered through individual empowerment and accountability that drives decision making throughout our business. Our performance-based incentive compensation programs align our people with the interests of our strategic long-term growth and our customers, communities, and shareholders. We know our teams will do what is right and that trust comes from effective communication and transparency. The Steel Dynamics team consisted of approximately 12,600 full-time team members at December 31, 2023.
Health and Safety
Valuing people includes providing a healthy and safe work environment, and creating a culture of safety that extends beyond the workplace, into our homes and communities. Safety is, and always will be, our primary focus and core value. We intend for each individual to arrive at the workplace safely and return home safely each day. This is achievable when we all work together. It requires commitment from leadership and team members at every level to take ownership and responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. Under no circumstance does the desire to maximize production or earnings override the value of individual safety.
Safety is our first core strategic pillar — it is the foundation of our decision making. Safety is always at the forefront and is discussed regularly across the company, whether led by a team member from the plant floor, a supervisor, or a manager. Leadership is engaged and continuously evaluates where we can improve. We believe having every individual engaged in safety will lead to zero injuries. We are committed to achieving world-class safety performance throughout our operations. This commitment is foundational and integral to our culture. Working as one team, we will achieve it.
Our total recordable injury rate compared to industry benchmarks and lost time injury rates for 2023 are as follows:
1 Total Recordable Injury Rate is defined as OSHA recordable incidents x 200,000 / hours worked. Lost Time Injury Rate is defined as OSHA days away from work cases x 200,000 / hours worked.
2 Source: 2022 U.S. DOL Bureau of Labor Statistics released in 2023
Compensation Structure
We believe in empowering our teams and rewarding them for their achievements through a four-tiered, performance-based compensation framework. The various components of our compensation programs promote a balance of high-return growth, effective capital investment, low-cost operations, and risk mitigation. By rewarding our teams based on their performance as an individual, as a team, as a company, and based on shareholder interests, we believe we have the ultimate alignment with our external constituents. This is achieved through the following methods:
| ● | Individual performance awards consist of an individual’s base compensation, which is determined by their individual performance, responsibilities, and skills. |
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| ● | Team performance awards are based on departmental results, rewarding cost effectiveness and quality production. Our performance-based incentive programs reward team members for reducing waste and increasing efficiency, while also producing quality products for our customers. These awards can be well over 100% of base wages, based on strong performance and on the teams doing things that are within their control. |
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| ● | Companywide performance awards unite everyone through our profit-sharing program, which is based on consolidated pretax profitability, and our 401(k) match, which is based on consolidated return on assets. |
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| ● | Alignment with our shareholders and the pursuit of long-term value creation is fostered through the issuance of restricted stock units. Each full-time, non-union, United States-based team member receives annual equity awards. These awards generally have a two-year vesting period, supporting retention and companywide strategy alignment. |
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Our team-based culture and competitive pay structure supported continued high retention. In 2023, our overall team retention was approximately 80%, with U.S.-based teams retention of 89%.
Our compensation framework helps ensure that we remain strong with best-in-class performance and retain top talent even in economic downturns. We all share in the company’s successes, as well as the challenges.
Talent Development and Educational Opportunities
Our people represent the foundation of our six strategic pillars. Their continued education and talent development are paramount to our success. Our educational assistance and development programs encourage personal growth so individuals can remain current in their areas of responsibility, as well as develop new skills for advancement. Senior leadership plays a key role in our development programs, linking our culture to critical, proven leadership concepts. As we continue to grow, building talent, retaining team members with relevant industry and technical experience, and creating opportunities within our teams is one of our most important tasks and is critical to our long-term success.
Workplace Philosophy
Our people are the foundation of our success and are our most important resource. Our culture safeguards all people and requires each person to be treated fairly and with dignity. We have equal employment opportunity, no tolerance for harassment of any kind, respect for human rights, inclusion, and diversity – all of which focus on our expectations of treating every person with the utmost respect. Our leadership receives recurring training on these critical topics.
We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals and applicants. This philosophy of fairness extends to work assignments, opportunities for advancement, compensation, training opportunities, and all other aspects of employment. All job-related considerations are based on merit and ability, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetics, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy, the presence of handicaps or disabilities, or any other basis protected by law. We provide accommodations as required by applicable laws, including for disabilities and religious beliefs.
We respect human rights, which includes providing safe work environments for our people, providing fair compensation based on job responsibilities and performance, and ensuring all team members meet minimum age requirements and eligible working status to qualify for employment.
We do not tolerate harassment or disrespect of an individual or group for any reason. Harassment of a team member is prohibited, both in the workplace and off the premises. We forbid harassment by any personnel of a customer, vendor, or any other person. Likewise, we prohibit harassment of our teams in any way related to their interactions with customers, vendors, or any other person related to their work responsibilities.
We recognize the value of having a business that reflects diversity of backgrounds and experiences. We work together as a unified team and respect each other as individuals. Our team-based compensation structure reinforces this philosophy. We strive to create a welcoming, open, and inclusive environment, ensuring the best ideas are heard and valued regardless of the position or the individual. We believe these ideals will continue to drive our success. Our teams and colleagues represent the diversity of the communities where we live and work and our team member population is representative of our industry and communities.
Segments
In the fourth quarter 2023, we changed our reportable segments, consistent with how we currently manage the business, which include steel operations (including warehousing operations previously included in “Other”), metals recycling operations, steel fabrication operations, and our new aluminum operations. Segment information provided within this Form 10-K has been recast for all prior periods presented, consistent with the current reportable segment presentation. Refer to Notes 1 and 13 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional segment information.
| Steel Operations Segment |
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Steel operations consist of our EAF steel mills, producing steel from ferrous scrap and scrap substitutes, utilizing continuous casting, automated rolling mills and numerous steel coating, processing lines and warehouse operations. Our steel operations sell directly to end-users, steel fabricators, and service centers. These products are used in numerous industry sectors, including the construction, automotive, manufacturing, transportation, heavy and agriculture equipment, energy, and pipe and tube (including OCTG) markets. Our steel operations accounted for 67%, 65% and 72% of our consolidated net sales during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We are predominantly a domestic steel company with growing sales in Mexico. Exported sales represented 8%, 5%, and 4% of our steel segment net sales during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Our steel operations consist primarily of steelmaking and numerous coating operations. In 2023, we had approximately 9.4 million tons of flat roll steel annual production capacity. We have an additional 2.0 million tons of flat roll steel processing capacity through The Techs and our Heartland Flat Roll Division, as well as distribution of metallic coated and pre-painted products through United Steel Supply (USS). We have annual flat roll galvanizing capability of 4.8 million tons and painting capability of 1.5 million tons. We also have approximately 4.6 million tons of long product steel capacity at our long products divisions.
Capacities represent manufacturing capabilities based on steel mill configuration and related team member support. These capacities do not represent expected volumes in a given year. In addition, estimates of steel mill capacity are highly dependent on the specific product mix manufactured. Each of our steel mills can and do roll many different types and sizes of products; therefore, our capacity estimates assume a typical product mix.
The following chart summarizes our steel operations primary products and the estimated percentage of tons sold by end market:
SHEET STEEL PRODUCTS
Our sheet steel products, consisting of hot rolled, cold rolled and coated steel products are currently produced by our Butler, Columbus, and Sinton Flat Roll Divisions, and our numerous downstream coating lines, including The Techs, Heartland Flat Roll Division, and USS (Steel Processing divisions). Our sheet steel operations represented 68%, 77% and 73% of steel operations net sales in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. We produced 9.2 million tons of sheet steel at these facilities in 2023, 8.3 million tons in 2022, and 7.6 million tons in 2021.
We shipped the following sheet steel products volumes at the following facilities (tons):
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| | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2021 | | |
| | Butler, Columbus, and Sinton | 7,459,023 | | 6,772,162 | | 5,868,734 | | |
| | Flat Roll divisions | | | | | | | |
| | Steel Processing divisions | 1,731,911 | | 1,673,967 | | 1,653,433 | | |
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The following chart summarizes the types of sheet steel products sold by sales dollars, during the respective years, with cold rolled and coated products representing value-added products:
Customers. Steel processors and service centers typically act as intermediaries between primary sheet steel producers and the many end-user manufacturers that require further processing of hot roll coils. The additional processing performed by the intermediate steel processors and service centers include pickling, galvanizing, cutting to length, slitting to size, leveling, blanking, shape correcting, edge rolling, shearing and stamping. We believe that our intermediate steel processor and service center customers will remain an integral part of our customer base. The Columbus and Sinton Flat Roll Divisions allow us to capitalize on the industrial markets in the Southern United States and Mexico, as well as further expand our customer base in painted, line pipe and other pipe products. Galvanized flat rolled products produced by our Butler, Columbus, and Sinton Flat Roll Divisions are similar and are sold to a similar customer base. The Techs and Heartland Flat Roll Division specialize in the galvanizing of specific types of flat roll steels in primarily non-automotive applications, servicing a variety of customers in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), construction, agriculture and consumer goods markets. USS adds a complementary distribution channel for metallic coated and pre-painted flat roll steel coils to the roll-former market, serving the roofing and siding industry. This connects us to a rapidly growing industry sector with customers that do not historically purchase steel directly from a steel producer. USS provides continued growth to one of our highest-margin flat roll steel products. Our
sheet steel operations also provide a substantial portion (56% in 2023) of the sheet steel utilized in our steel fabrication operations.
The following chart summarizes the types of end customers who purchased our sheet steel products, by sales dollars, during the respective years:
LONG PRODUCTS
Our long steel products consist of a wide array of differentiating products produced by our four mills and Vulcan Threaded Products, Inc. (Vulcan), a downstream finishing operation.
Structural and Rail Division produces a variety of parallel flange beams and channel sections, as well as flat bars and large unequal leg angles, and reinforcing steel bar including custom cut-to-length, smooth bar, and coiled. We also produce standard strength carbon, intermediate alloy hardness, and premium grade rails in 40 to 320 feet length for the railroad industry. Our state-of-the art heat treating system allows us to produce high quality premium rail, which has been certified by all Class I railroads. In addition, our rail-welding facility has the ability to weld (Continuous Welded Rail) in lengths up to 1,600 feet, which offers substantial savings to the railroads both in terms of initial capital cost and through reduced maintenance. We also utilize our Structural and Rail Division’s excess capacity to supply our Engineered Bar Products Division with pull-through volume of billets to utilize its excess rolling capacity.
Engineered Bar Products Division produces a broad range of engineered special-bar-quality (SBQ), merchant-bar-quality (MBQ) and other engineered round steel bars. We also have a bar finishing facility, which provides various downstream finishing operations for SBQ steel bars, including turning, polishing, straightening, chamfering, precision saw-cutting, and heat-treating capabilities. Vulcan produces threaded rod products, and cold drawn and heat-treated bar, creating strategic pull-through demand of our Engineered Bar Products Division’s special-bar-quality products.
Roanoke Bar Division produces merchant products, including channels, angles, flats, merchant rounds, and reinforcing steel bars. Excess steel billet production is sold to mills without sufficient melting capacities, including our Steel of West Virginia facility. Our steel fabrication operations also purchase angles from our Roanoke Bar Division.
Steel of West Virginia produces a wide array of specialty shapes and light structural steel and frequently performs fabrication and finishing operations on those products, such as cutting to length, additional straightening, hole punching, shot blasting, welding, galvanizing, and coating. Through this array of products and additional finishing, we create custom finished products that are generally placed directly into our customers’ assembly operations.
We shipped the following long products volumes at each of these facilities (tons):
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| | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2021 | | |
| | Structural and Rail Division | 1,851,349 | | 1,865,405 | | 1,933,433 | | |
| | Rail shipments (included above) | 319,241 | | 299,795 | | 301,847 | | |
| | Engineered Bar Products Division | 836,179 | | 894,374 | | 809,808 | | |
| | Roanoke Bar Division | 564,776 | | 589,449 | | 595,879 | | |
| | Steel of West Virginia | 378,515 | | 363,832 | | 356,353 | | |
Customers. The principal customers for our structural steel products are steel service centers, steel fabricators and various manufacturers. Service centers provide key distribution channels for the mills and value-add services to the end-user. A growing number of fabricators and end-users request to source some of their steel products directly from the mill. The steel rail marketplace in the United States, Canada and Mexico is specialized and defined, with eight Class I railroads and a large distribution network.
SBQ products are principally consumed by cold finishers, forgers, intermediate processors, OEM manufacturers, steel service centers, and distributors, as well as pull-through volume to Vulcan. Our MBQ products are sold primarily to steel service centers, as well as reinforcing steel bar distributors, joist producers (such as our New Millennium Building Systems), and OEMs. Some of the excess steel billet production at the Roanoke Bar Division is sold to mills without sufficient melting capacities, including our Steel of West Virginia facility. Our steel fabrication operations also purchase angles from Roanoke Bar Division. Steel of West Virginia’s customers are primarily OEMs producing solar panel structures, truck trailers, industrial lift trucks, merchant products, guardrail posts, manufactured housing, mining, and off-highway construction equipment. Steel of West Virginia’s flexible manufacturing capabilities enable us to meet demand for a variety of custom-ordered and designed products. Many of these products are produced in small quantities for low volume end-uses resulting in a wide variety of customers, the largest of which are in the truck trailer and industrial lift truck industries.
Steel Operations Segment Competition
The markets in which we conduct business are highly competitive with an abundance of competition in the carbon steel industry from North American and foreign integrated and mini-mill steelmaking and processing operations. We compete in numerous industry sections, most significantly tied to the construction, automotive, and other manufacturing sectors. In many applications within these industry sections, steel competes with other materials, such as aluminum, cement, composites, plastics, carbon fiber, glass and wood. Some of our products are commodities, subject to their own cyclical fluctuations in supply and demand. However, we are focused on providing a broad range of diversified value-added products that de-emphasize commodity steel. The primary competitive influences on products we sell are price, quality and value-added services.
| Metals Recycling Operations Segment |
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Metals Recycling operations include both ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal processing, transportation, marketing, brokerage and scrap management services, strategically located primarily in close proximity to our steel mills and other end-user scrap consumers, throughout the United States, and Central and Northern Mexico. Our metals recycling operations accounted for 12%, 10% and 12% of our consolidated net sales during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Through acquisitions in 2020 and 2022, we have increased shipments into Mexico, and export sales represented 18%, 14% and 11% of metals recycling segment net sales during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
We shipped the following from our metals recycling operations:
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| | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2021 | | |
| | Ferrous metal total (gross tons) | 5,779,114 | | 5,301,774 | | 5,442,478 | | |
| | Shipments to our steel mills | 3,579,958 | | 3,475,662 | | 3,574,668 | | |
| | Percent of total to our steel mills | 62% | | 66% | | 66% | | |
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| | Nonferrous metals (thousands of pounds) | 1,108,211 | | 1,053,852 | | 1,093,472 | | |
We sell various grades of processed ferrous scrap primarily to steel mills and foundries. Ferrous scrap metal is the primary raw material for EAFs, including our steel mills. In addition, we sell various grades of nonferrous metals including copper, brass, aluminum, and stainless steel, to smelters, refineries, alloy manufacturers, specialty mills and other consumers.
We purchase processed and unprocessed ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals, in a variety of forms for our metals recycling facilities.
Ferrous scrap comes from two primary sources:
| ● | Manufacturing industrial facilities, metal fabrication plants, and machine shops, which generate ferrous scrap referred to as prompt or industrial scrap, and |
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| ● | Scrap dealers, retail individuals, auto wreckers, demolition firms and others who provide steel and iron scrap, referred to as obsolete scrap. Obsolete scrap includes scrap recycled from end-of-life items, such as automobiles, appliances, and machinery. |
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Nonferrous scrap comes from three primary sources:
| ● | Manufacturers and other nonferrous scrap sources, which generate or sell scrap aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and other nonferrous metals, |
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| ● | Producers of items such as electric wire, telecommunication service providers, aerospace, defense and recycling companies that generate nonferrous scrap consisting primarily of copper wire, aluminum beverage cans, and various other metals and alloys, and |
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| ● | Retail transactions conducted with the general public who sell material directly to our facilities, collected from a variety of sources. |
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We do not purchase a significant amount of scrap metal from a single source or from a limited number of major sources. Market demand and the composition, quality, size, weight, and location of the materials are the primary factors that determine prices.
Products. Our metals recycling operations primarily involve the purchase, processing, and resale of ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals into reusable forms and grades. We process an array of ferrous products through a variety of
methods, including sorting, shredding, shearing, cutting, bailing, and breaking. Our major ferrous products include heavy melting steel, busheling, bundled scrap, shredded scrap and other scrap metal products, such as steel turnings and cast iron. These products vary in properties or attributes related to cleanness, size of individual pieces, and residual alloys. The necessary characteristics of the ferrous products are determined by the specific needs and requirements of the consumer and affect the individual product’s relative value. We process numerous grades of nonferrous products, including aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, and other nonferrous metals. Additionally, we provide transportation logistics (truck, rail, and river barge), marketing, brokerage, and scrap management services, providing competitive price and cost advantages to our suppliers and customers. We design, install, and manage customized scrap management programs for industrial manufacturing companies.
Customers. We sell various grades of processed ferrous scrap to end-users, such as EAF steel mills, integrated steelmakers, foundries, secondary smelters, and metal brokers, who aggregate materials for other large users. Ferrous scrap metal is the primary raw material for EAFs, including our steel mills. Most of our ferrous scrap customers purchase processed scrap through negotiated spot sales contracts which establish a quantity purchase for the month. The price we charge for ferrous scrap depends upon market demand, composition, quality, size, weight, and transportation costs, as well as the quality and grade of the scrap. We sell various grades of processed nonferrous scrap to end-users such as aluminum sheet and ingot manufacturers, brass and bronze ingot makers, copper refineries, mills, smelters, specialty steelmakers, alloy manufacturers, wire and cable producers, utilities, and telephone networks. The price we charge for nonferrous scrap also depends upon market demand and pricing, transportation costs, as well as the quality and grade of the scrap.
Competition. Scrap is a global commodity influenced by conditions in a number of industrialized and emerging markets throughout Asia, Europe and North America. The markets for scrap metals are highly competitive, both in the purchase of raw or unprocessed scrap, and the sale of processed scrap. With regard to the purchase of unprocessed scrap, we compete with numerous independent recyclers, as well as smaller scrap companies engaged only in collecting obsolete scrap. In many cases, we also purchase unprocessed scrap metal from smaller scrap dealers and other processors. Successful procurement of materials is determined primarily by the price offered by the purchaser for the raw scrap and the proximity of our processing facility to the source of the raw scrap. Both ferrous and nonferrous scrap sell as a commodity in both domestic and international markets, which are affected, sometimes significantly, by relative economic conditions, currency fluctuations, and the availability and cost of transportation. Competition for sales of processed scrap is based primarily on the price, quality, and location of the scrap metals, as well as the level of service provided in terms of reliability and timing of delivery.
We also face potential competition for sales of processed scrap from other producers of steel products, such as EAFs and integrated steel mills, some of which, like us, are also vertically connected in the scrap metals recycling business. In addition, other steel mills may compete with us in attempting to secure scrap supply through direct purchasing from our scrap suppliers. Scrap metal processors also face competition from substitutes for prepared ferrous scrap, such as pig iron, pelletized iron, hot briquetted iron (HBI), direct reduced iron (DRI), and other forms of processed iron.
The industry is highly fragmented with many smaller, regional, national and global companies, which have multiple locations in areas in which our metals recycling operations also operate. No single scrap metals recycler has a significant market share in the domestic market.
| Steel Fabrication Operations Segment |
Our steel fabrication operations include seven New Millennium Building Systems plants that primarily serve the non-residential construction industry throughout the United States. We have a national operating footprint that allows us to serve the entire domestic non-residential construction market including large retail chains and e-commerce distribution channels.
Steel fabrication operations accounted for 15%, 19%, and 10% of our consolidated net sales during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We sold 663,000, 856,000, and 789,000 tons of joist and deck products during 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Products. Our steel fabrication operations produce steel non-residential building components, including steel joists, trusses, girders, and steel deck. Our joist products include bowstring, arched, scissor, double-pitched and single-pitched joists. Our deck products include a full range of steel decking: roof, form, cellular, composite floor, specialty architectural, floor systems, and bridge deck.
Customers and Markets. Our primary steel fabrication operations customers are non-residential steel fabricators, metal building companies, general construction contractors, developers, owners, brokers, and governmental entities. Our customers are located throughout the United States, including national accounts. Our non-residential construction market consists primarily of e-commerce warehouses, data centers, metal buildings, education, and commercial building projects. Our steel fabrication operations maintain approximately one-third of the total domestic steel joist and deck market for bookings, of approximately 1.8 million tons, 2.1 million tons. and 3.6 million tons during 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Competition. We compete with other North American joist and steel deck producers primarily on the basis of price, quality, customer service, and proximity to the customer. Our national footprint allows us to service the entire domestic non-residential construction market, as well as national accounts such as large retail chains, including their distribution warehouse facilities, and certain specialty deck customers.
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| Other Information |
Sources, Availability, and Cost of Steel and Other Operations’ Raw Materials
Scrap Metals. The principal raw material of our EAF steel operations is recycled ferrous scrap derived from, among other sources, "home scrap,” generated internally at our steel mills themselves; industrial scrap, generated as a by-product of manufacturing; obsolete scrap, recycled from end-of-life automobiles, appliances, and machinery, and demolition scrap, recycled from obsolete structures, containers and machines.
Recycled ferrous scrap typically comprises more than 80% of the metallic melt mix in EAF steelmaking, in contrast to integrated mill steelmaking, where the proportion of scrap has traditionally been approximately 25% to 35%. Depending upon the scrap substitute material that may be available from time to time, and the relative cost of such material, the percentage of scrap used in our steelmaking operations could be increased or reduced in our metallic melt mix.
Many variables can impact ferrous scrap prices, all of which reflect the pushes and pulls of the supply demand equation. These factors include the level of domestic steel production (high quality low-residual scrap is a by-product of manufacturing activity), the level of exports of scrap from the United States, and the amount of obsolete scrap recycled. In addition, historical domestic ferrous scrap prices typically have a strong correlation and spread to global pig iron pricing. Generally, as domestic steel demand increases, so does scrap demand and resulting scrap prices. The reverse is also normally, but not always, true with scrap prices following steel prices downward when supply exceeds demand. When scrap prices greatly accelerate, this can challenge one of the principal elements of an EAF based steel mill’s traditional lower cost structure—the cost of its metallic raw material.
Iron Units. In addition to scrap, pig iron, DRI, HBI, and internally sourced liquid pig iron are used in our EAF steel mill production. During 2023, 2022, and 2021 we consumed 13.0 million, 12.0 million, and 11.0 million tons, respectively, of metallic materials in our steelmaking furnaces, of which, iron units other than scrap, represented approximately 15% of the tons in 2023, and 13% of the tons in 2022 and 2021.
Energy Resources
Electricity. Electricity is a significant input required in our EAF steel operations, representing approximately 4% of steel production costs of goods sold in 2023, 2022 and 2021. We have entered into fixed price electricity contracts for the Butler Flat Roll Division, Columbus Flat Roll Division, Roanoke Bar Division and Steel of West Virginia, while our Engineered Bar Products Division has a combination of fixed pricing and market pricing for the various components of the electrical services (demand charge, energy charge, riders, etc.). Our Sinton Flat Roll Division purchases electricity at current market prices. Our Structural and Rail Division purchases electricity at current market prices and through fixed price forward contracts.
Research and Development
Our research and development activities have consisted of efforts to expand, develop and improve our steel products and operating processes, such as our Sinton Flat Roll Division, and our efforts to develop and improve alternative ironmaking technologies. Most of these research and development efforts have been conducted in-house by our team members.
Environmental Matters
Our operations are subject to substantial and evolving environmental, health and safety laws and regulations concerning, among other things, emissions to the air, discharges to surface and ground water and to sewer systems, and the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes and secondary materials. Our operations are dependent upon permits regulating discharges into the environment or the use and handling of by-products in order to operate our facilities. We dedicate considerable resources aimed at achieving compliance with applicable laws concerning the environment. While we do not currently believe that our future compliance efforts with such provisions will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition, this is subject to change in the ever-evolving regulatory environment in which we operate.
Since the interpretation and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations that may be enacted from time to time can be subject to changing social or political norms, our environmental capital expenditures and costs for environmental compliance may increase in the future. In addition, due to the possibility of unanticipated regulatory or other developments, the amount and timing of future environmental expenditures may vary substantially from those currently anticipated. The cost of current and future environmental compliance may also place our operations at a competitive disadvantage with respect to foreign producers, which may not be required to undertake equivalent costs in their operations.
Pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which governs the treatment, handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (United States EPA) and authorized state or local environmental agencies may conduct inspections to identify alleged violations or areas where there may have been releases of solid or hazardous constituents into the environment and require the facilities to pay penalties and/or take corrective action to address any such releases. RCRA also allows citizens in certain situations to bring suits against regulated facilities for potential damages and cleanup. Many states have statutes and regulatory authorities similar to RCRA that can also apply. Many of our facilities generate wastes subject to these requirements. Our operations produce various by-products, some of which, for example EAF dust, may be categorized as hazardous waste, requiring special handling for disposal or for the recovery of metallics. We collect by-products in pollution control equipment such as baghouses, and then recycle or appropriately dispose of the by-products. While we cannot predict the future actions of the regulators or other interested parties, the potential exists for required corrective action, the costs of which could be substantial.
Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, known as CERCLA or Superfund, the United States EPA, state agencies and, in some instances, private parties have the authority to impose joint and several liability for the remediation of contaminated properties upon generators of hazardous substances, current and former site owners and operators, transporters and other potentially responsible parties, regardless of fault or the legality of the original disposal activity. Many states have statutes and regulatory authorities similar to CERCLA that can also apply. We have a number of material handling agreements with various contractors to properly dispose of or recycle our EAF dust and certain other by-products of our operations. However, we cannot assure that, even if there has been no fault by us, we may not still be cited as a hazardous substances generator by reason of an environmental cleanup at one of our facilities or a site to which our by-products were transported.
The Clean Water Act and similar state and local laws apply to aspects of our operations and impose regulatory restrictions related to the discharge of wastewater, storm water and dredged or fill material. The United States EPA, state agencies and, in certain instances, private parties have the ability to bring suit alleging violations and seeking penalties and injunctive relief. These legal provisions can also require new or expanded water treatment investments to be made and can limit or even prohibit certain current or planned activities at our operations.
The Clean Air Act and analogous state and local laws require many of our facilities to obtain and maintain air permits in order to operate. Air permits can impose new or expanded obligations to limit or prevent current or future emissions and to add costly pollution control equipment. Enforcement for alleged violations can be brought by the United States EPA, state and local agencies, and in certain instances private parties, and can result in penalties and injunctive relief.
In addition, there are a number of other environmental, health and safety laws and regulations that apply to our facilities and may affect our operations. By way of example and not of limitation, certain portions of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, Oil Pollution Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, as well as state and local laws and regulations implemented by the regulatory agencies, apply to aspects of our facilities’ operations. Our current and planned operations in Mexico are similarly subject to environmental requirements applicable to those operations. In some instances, we may also be subject to other foreign governments’ regulations and international treaties and laws. Many of these laws allow both the governments and citizens in certain situations to bring suits against regulated facilities for alleged environmental violations. Finally, our operations could in certain situations be subject to toxic tort suits brought by third parties alleging causes of action such as nuisance, negligence, trespass, infliction of emotional distress, or other claims alleging personal injury, property damage, or other harms.
Available Information
Our internet website address is www.steeldynamics.com. We make available on our internet website, under "Investors,” free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, as well as press releases, ownership reports pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, our Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and any amendments thereto or waivers thereof, as well as our Audit, Compensation, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Charters. The contents of our or any other website are not incorporated into this report. These reports are also available publicly on the Securities and Exchange Commission website, www.sec.gov.
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