LIBERTY Steel Georgetown Rod Mill to Restart Operations
GFG Allianceย (visit GFG Alliance) plans to restart theย LIBERTY Steel Georgetown rod millย in Georgetown, South Carolina. The company expects the mill to resume production around midโJanuary, bringing jobs and new capacity back online after a period of care and maintenance during the Covidโ19 downturn.
LIBERTY Steel Georgetown will support a strong order book and help clear a backlog of customer demand for wire rod in North America.โ
Integrated Production with LIBERTY Peoria Plant
To optimize output, LIBERTY willย integrate Georgetown with its plant in Peoria, Illinois. The Peoria site will melt and cast billet, taking advantage of its additional melt capacity. Georgetown will then roll those billets into approximatelyย 10,000 metric tons of finished rod per month.โ
Meanwhile, the LIBERTY Steel Georgetown rod mill team has implemented efficiency measures, includingย utility cost savings,ย rental equipment returns, andย contractor reductions, to support profitability and a sustainable longโterm operating plan.โ
A Storied History of the Georgetown Rod Mill
The rod mill in Georgetown dates back toย 1969, when German industrialistย Willy Korfย founded the site. At its peak, the plant employed aroundย 1,500 peopleย and passed through several owners, including theย government of Kuwaitย in 1984 andย International Steel Groupย in 2004.
In 2005,ย Lakshmi Mittalย acquired the mill. It closed in 2009, thenย ArcelorMittalย reopened it in 2011 before closing it again in May 2015. Theย Liberty House Group, part of GFG Alliance, bought the Georgetown steelworks in 2017 and has since worked to secure its longโterm future.
Part of GFG Alliance Restructuring and Market Recovery
The restart announcement forms part of a broader update fromย GFG Allianceย on restructuring and refinancing progress across its global portfolio. LIBERTY Steel Group created aย Restructuring and Transformation Committee (RTC)ย in May 2021 to focus on core profitable units and to stabilize operations after the Greensill collapse.
Chief Restructuring Officerย Jeffrey Steinย explained that the restart of theย LIBERTY Steel Georgetown rod millย reflects stronger market conditions and rising infrastructure spending worldwide. Healthy steel demand and supportive U.S. trade measures, including Section 232 tariffs and quotas, create a more sustainable environment for domestic rod producers.
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