SMS group supplies Hybar with a second CMT mill in Osceola, USA

Hybar, a scrap metal recycling and steel production company focused on environmentally sustainable steel production, has selected SMS group to supply a second continuous minimill technology order (CMT 550) for its steelmaking complex in Osceola, Arkansas, USA. Installed alongside the existing SMS CMT 550 mill, it is thought the new facility will create the world’s first twin CMT system and increase Hybar’s annual reinforcing bar production capacity by 630,000 short tons. Groundbreaking for the project is expected to take place in late 2026 with start-up scheduled two years later.

This order for a new CMT 550 mill will expand Hybar’s bar production by 630,000 tons per year

By integrating an additional CMT 550 mill at the Osceola site in Arkansas, the twin CMT mill solution enables optimal use of transport logistics and a shared connection to the same renewable power source. Utilising the site’s 105-megawatt solar park, supported by a 160-megawatt-hours battery storage system, mill operation is designed to achieve one of the lowest carbon footprints in the long-product sector. Compared to a conventional minimill, carbon emissions are expected to be reduced by up to 35%. 

The new CMT 550 mill is engineered to create an energy-efficient steelmaking system by integrating steelmaking, casting and rolling into a single, reliable process. SMS will supply the complete CMT mill from a single source. The new mill expands Hybar’s reinforcing bar production by an additional 630,000 short tons per year, producing bars from 12.4 to 35mm in one to four-ton bundles. The plant will also include future provision for vertical compact coiler (VCC) technology for coils up to eight tons.

The meltshop features an electric arc furnace based on the EDGE DC design platform and a twin ladle furnace station, providing high electrical efficiency, operational flexibility and consistent steel quality. The X-Pact AURA, an advanced electronics system, provides the electrical power feed to the melting unit, enabling high productivity (>80 tons per hour) with low energy consumption and minimal impact on the electrical grid. The modular architecture (six equivalent AURA packages installed) allows Hybar to run the plant at unprecedent level of availability.

“Building on the success of our first CMT mill at Hybar’s Osceola site to produce long products, we see huge potential to expand our capacities here at Osceola by combining logistics and labour expertise already on-site with this CMT twin solution. This enables us to effectively respond to the increasing demand for green long products by taking advantage of shared utility costs,” said David Stickler, CEO Hybar.