PLANT HISTORY

The Midlothian Steel Mill began operation in 1975 as Chaparral Steel and was a 50/50 joint venture between CoSteel International Ltd and Texas Industries (TXI), a Dallas-based cement, aggregate and concrete company. The mill’s primary product was reinforcing bar as a complimentary product to use in TXI’s concrete applications and was one of the first to utilize the “mini-mill” concept.

Throughout the next eleven years, production capabilities would expand with the construction of the Medium and Large Section Mills. In 1986, TXI acquired Co-Steel’s interest in the joint venture and Chaparral became a wholly owned subsidiary of TXI. In January 2005, TXI decided to “spin off” the steel company, and on July 29, 2005, Chaparral became a wholly independent stand alone company. In September 2007, Chaparral was acquired by Gerdau.

Gerdau originated in 1901 with the purchase of the Pontas de Paris nail factory in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Due to war rationing of wire (a basic raw material for making nails) by the Brazilian federal government during World War II, the directors opted to end their reliance on outside suppliers and purchase the Riograndense Steel Mill. By producing the wire themselves, they were able to better control the supply chain. In the last 120 years, Gerdau has expanded its operations into 10 countries and is the largest long steel