McLouth Steel is a former integrated steel company. The company was once the ninth-largest steelmaker in the United States.
The company had three locations: the first was in Detroit, Michigan, the second (and largest) in Trenton, Michigan, and the third in Gibraltar, Michigan. The Detroit and Trenton plants have been demolished, while the Gibraltar plant has been restarted by Ferrolux.
Detroit complex The Detroit plant was built in 1934 by Donald B. McLouth, a Detroit scrap dealer, as a small conversion mill on Livernois Avenue. General Motors desired additional options for steel, and provided partial financing for the facility. In its later years, the plant was revamped to produce only stainless steel, and was eventually purchased in 1981 by Jones and Laughlin Steel Company.
The Detroit mill initially consisted of a small reversing hot-rolling strip mill with a slab heating furnace. The original hot strip mill was known as the "Coffee Grinder" from the sounds the mill would make. In 1938, the company brought online a single 4-high reversing cold reducing mill with ancillary facilities (annealing and finishing). Over the next few years, modifications were made to the equipment, allowing the company to roll 108,000 net tons of hot-rolled products and 60,000 net tons of cold-rolled products per year.
In 1947, McLouth Steel began rolling stainless steel. Two single-stand reversing cold reducing mills were installed with the related supplementary equipment. In 1954, $6,000,000 of the $100,000,000 expansion plan for the new Trenton plant was used to install two 4-high reversing cold rolling mills in Detroit. With this new addition to the plant, stainless steel production increased to 52,000 net tons per year.
The Detroit plant was a finishing facility for sheet and strip products only. The principal operating units were two , 4-high cold reduction mills, a cold anneal and pickle line, a temper mill, two slitting lines (36 and 24 in), and a coil polisher. The two 50-in reduction mills were essentially identical. Both were installed in 1953 by United and had a combined annual capacity of 120,000 tons. The cold anneal and pickle line were installed in 1975 by Production Machinery. The line consisted of an entry end washing section to remove rolling oils, an open air annealing furnace (where the strip was heated above ), and three acid pickling tanks followed by rinsing and drying units. Paper was interleaved between the coil wraps at the exit take up reel to avoid surface abrasion.
Coil product was usually shipped from the Detroit plant via truck. The Detroit plant was demolished in 2018.
Trenton complex
In 1948, McLouth Steel started its $100 million expansion program by purchasing riverfront property in Trenton, Michigan, with General Motors providing a $25 million loan. Purchasing war surplus equipment from a Chicago mill (at bargain prices), the first major construction program started soon afterward. The site was laid out and four 60-ton electric arc furnaces were installed. Soaking pits, a blooming mill, a Steckel mill, a down-coiler and finishing equipment were installed. The first ingots were poured in 1949, and McLouth was soon established as a growing factor in the marketplace.
A few years later, in 1954, the Trenton plant was formally dedicated and McLouth Steel gained the ability to produce iron as an integrated steel mill. Number One blast furnace was constructed with a capacity of 1250 tons a day. The three original 60-ton basic oxygen furnace (BOF) vessels were installed and McLouth became the first plant in the United States to make steel via the basic oxygen process. Adding to the melt shop were two 200-ton electric arc furnaces. The reversing Steckel mill was replaced by a six stand continuous hot strip rolling mill and a roughing stand was added to complement the blooming mill. More soaking pits were installed as well as a plant to supply the BOP with oxygen. Two pickle lines were added along with the slitters.
1958 saw another major expansion of the plant. A new blast furnace was constructed (Number 2), two 110-ton BOP vessels, and the related support equipment for the BOP and blast furnaces also had their capacity increased. Gas cleaning systems were installed for the melt shop. Two Rust slab reheat furnaces were installed to handle stainless steel, as well as the massive grinder and slab unpilers. The grinders, unpilers, and the pusher/bumper units for the two furnaces were supplied by Composite Forgings, Inc.
Between 1960 and 1964, one more 110-ton BOP vessel was added, bringing the 110-ton vessel count to three. McLouth became the first company to use computer controls on a hot strip mill on November 1, 1962. Significantly, the first "straight stick" slab caster was installed during this period. It was the first in the United States.
Profitable operations as well as market demand prompted a major commitment to build a continuous casting department in 1967 with the announcement of four curved mold continuous casting strands and six lines of three induction slab reheaters. Two additional 110-ton BOP vessels were also added to replace old and obsolete equipment (the 60-ton vessels). With these improvements to McLouth's steel making process, McLouth became the first steel mill to eventually produce 100% of its products by the continuous casting process, which added significantly to the efficiency of the operations and improved the quality of the finished product.
The plant was sold in 1996 to Detroit Steel Company. Up to the early 2000s, Detroit Steel primarily brought in outside steel, pickled it, and sold it. In the summer of 2009, after several failed start-up attempts, the Trenton plant had its electrical distribution infrastructure removed. In 2017, the facility entered foreclosure after owners failed to pay $3.7 million in back taxes. In 2018, MSC Land Co. purchased the land, entering into an agreement to demolish all buildings and to perform some remediation. In May 2019, the site was put on EPA's Superfund National Priorities List. Site demolition and remediation have since taken place, but the property's future remains unknown.
Trenton plant assets Iron making Two blast furnaces: the number 1 and number 2 furnaces were built in 1954 and 1958 respectively, by the Arthur McKee Company. The hearth diameter was 28' 6" with a working volume of 56,676 cubic ft. Sinter plant: it was phased out in 1969, and was very inefficient; it produced low-grade ore from wastes from the blast furnaces. Three ore bridges: Built by Dravo Corp. Two cranes in 1954, with the last in 1958. 12 net tons each. One conventional ore yard opposite of the blast furnace, and two conveyor fed auxiliary yards.
Steelmaking Oxygen process shops OP 1: Three 60-ton vessels were added in 1954. It was the first successful basic oxygen shop in the United States. The shop was dismantled in 1968 due to high operating costs compared to OP 2. OP 2: Five oxygen process vessels, with two 110-ton vessels added in 1958, one in 1960, and two more in 1968. All five were built by the Pennsylvania Engineering Company (PECOR). The reason that the relatively small vessels were used was due to the low ceilings in the existing building.
Melt shop Four 60-ton electric arc furnaces were installed in 1948 as the first expansion project. Two 200-ton electric arc furnaces were installed in 1954 to replace the four original furnaces.
AOD shop Three 100-net-ton-sized argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) vessels were installed in 1977 by PECOR. Only a total of 39 heats were produced by this process. The average time per heat was 2 hours and 15 minutes. The shop was later dismantled and turned into the ladle metallurgy station.
The entire steelmaking building, with the exception of the lime storage building, was demolished in 2005. The lime storage building was brought down with explosives on April 18, 2010.
Continuous casting Pilot plant: the first straight stick slab casting machine in America was installed in 1963. The machine was located south of OP 1. Schloemann was the main equipment vendor, and it was dismantled in 1968.
Concast department: there were four low-profile curved molds with progressive straightening. Three molds cast 12-in thick slabs while the other cast 9.5-in ones. All molds could adjust the slab width from 36 to 57 in. Typical casting speed was 34–46 inches per minute for a 12-in slab, and 48-55 in/min for a 9.5-in slab, with a maximum of 120 in/min.
The main building was demolished in 2006.
Hot strip mill Furnaces Soaking pits 5 two-hole batteries. Natural gas fired. Built by Amsler Morton and the Rust Furnace Company in 1948. Reheat Furnaces Two conventional three zone, natural gas furnaces that were primarily used to reheat stainless and carbon slabs prior to the caster installation. 125 Net tons per hour each. First furnace was installed in 1954. Second in 1958. Both were built by the Rust Furnace Company of Pittsburgh, PA. Eighteen induction slab heating furnaces Three lines of three heaters were installed in 1968, the last three lines were installed in 1969. Heaters were provided by Ajax Magnethermic and the slab handling equipment by United Engineering and Foundry. Maximum rated capacity was 645 tons per hour. Walking beam furnace Built in 1985. Natural gas fired. 350 tons per hour. 1 hour heating time per slab.
Rolling Blooming Mill Two high 41" diameter x 92" rolls. Built by Continental in 1948. Accepted ingots up to 24" x 44" and slabs up to 57" by 12" thick. Twin 3000 horsepower motors. Roughing Mill Two high 43" dia. x 59.75" rolls. Built by Mesta in 1954. Twin 2500 horsepower motors. Six Stand Rolling mill Four high mill stand, 25.75" x 64" work rolls and 53.75" x 60" back up rolls. Built by Mesta in 1954. Five 5000 HP motors and one 3500 HP motor. Maximum entering plate was 1.25" thick. Minimum exiting strip was .071" Two down-coilers Installed in 1965 by Mesta. Produced a 78" maximum opening coil.
Finish departments Pickle Line Built by Mesta in 1954. Used sulfuric acid. The line accepted coils up to 60" at a rate of 90 net tons an hour. The line was 553 feet long. Slitters Number 1 slitter This line had a maximum coil width of 44" and 70" in diameter. Slitting width was 2.001" minimum, 42.5" maximum. Built by Wean in 1948. Number 2 slitter 60" maximum coil width, 72" diameter. 5" minimum, 55" maximum slitting width. Built in 1948 by Wean. Number 3 slitter 60" maximum coil width, 72" diameter. 2.001" minimum, 56" maximum slitting width. Built by Wean in 1948. Number 4 slitter 60" maximum width. 5" minimum, 56" maximum slitting width. 45,000 PSI shear. Built by Wean in 1954. Number 5 slitter 20" minimum, 60" maximum entry coil. 50,000 PSI shear. 9" minimum slit width. Built by Production Machinery in 1964.
Pickle line and #5 slitter remained until final demolition of the plant.
Gibraltar complex In 1954, McLouth announced the construction of a cold rolling facility in Gibraltar, Michigan, close to the Trenton Plant. This facility has a four-stand continuous cold rolling strip mill, annealing furnaces, two skin pass finishing mills and other ancillary equipment for further processing of cold-rolled steel coils.
The property the company acquired was once owned by the Gibraltar Steel Corporation. The total area was around of land along the Detroit river, bordering Trenton. Original plans called for five additional blast furnaces dependent upon the completion of the All-American Channel, a proposed channel through parts of Gibraltar. Without the channel, ore and coal haulers could not bring in the required raw materials. McLouth failed to get the proper financing to construct another integrated mill, so plans were drawn up for a stand-alone cold rolling mill.
There was a major fire that destroyed most of the pickling tower in 1970.