Nucor-Yamato Agrees to Explore Building Rail Mill With Voest Alpine Schienen

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucor-Yamato Steel Company and Voest-Alpine Schienen GmBh & Co. KG have signed an agreement to explore the building of a rail mill in North America.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000317/NUELOGO )

The mill will use the latest technology to produce high quality rail, in weld-free lengths up to 320 feet. The venture intends to focus on production and marketing of head-hardened rails.

Voest-Alpine Schienen is the rail-making unit of Voest Alpine Stahl group, Austria's largest producer and one of the nation's largest industrial enterprises.

Nucor-Yamato Steel is the largest United States producer of carbon steel wide flange beams. The Blytheville, Arkansas based joint venture is 51 percent owned by Nucor (NYSE: NUE) and 49 percent owned by Yamato Kogyo of Japan.

The rail mill project is the latest of several recent expansions for Charlotte-based Nucor and its affiliates. Within the past year, Nucor has:

    * started production at its first plate mill in Hertford County, North
      Carolina.
    * expanded its sheet steel mill in Berkeley County, South Carolina.
    * begun construction of a steel joist and deck plant in Chemung, New York,
      scheduled to open in 2001.
    * launched a joint venture to develop strip casting technology with
      Australia's Broken Hill Proprietary Corporation and Ishikawajima-Harima
      heavy industries.

Nucor is the largest recycler in the United States. Nucor and affiliates are manufacturers of steel products, with operating facilities in eight states. Products produced are carbon and alloy steel, steel joists and joist girders, steel deck, cold finished steel, metal building systems, steel grinding balls, steel bearing products and steel fasteners.
SOURCE Nucor Corporation
Web site: http: //www.nucor.com
Photo: NewsCom: http: //www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000317/NUELOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467
CONTACT: Nucor Corporation, 704-366-7000
CAPTION: NUELOGO NUCOR LOGO Nucor logo. (PRNewsFoto)[HD] CHARLOTTE, NC USA 03/17/2000