Representatives from Nucor, PGT Trucking and the Nikola Corporation discussed a solution to make supply chain infrastructures more sustainable.
On Tuesday, Nucor announced a partnership with PGT Trucking, a Pennsylvania company, in utilizing its Class 8 Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle at Nucor’s Brandenburg plant, which is a $1.7 billion facility that produces finished steel plate products.
These electric flatbed trucks will transport the plant’s low GHG intensity steel to a nearby fabricator.
Johnny Jacobs, vice president and general manager at Nucor Steel Brandenburg, said “sustainability is at the core of the core business model.”
“This morning event highlights the importance of sustainability to the businesses across different industries,” Jacobs said.
The plant began production in December. At full capacity, the plant it will produce 97% of plate products consumed domestically.
At the announcement event, guests had a chance to see the flatbed truck with a steel shipment that will be assigned to the Nucor steel mill in Hickman, Arkansas.
Jacobs also discussed the fact that the Brandenburg plant is the “first steel mill in the world” to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design v4 certification. He said LEED is the most widely used rating system for green buildings, with v4 being the most rigorous of the rating systems.
Al Behr, Nucor executive vice president of plate and structural products, discussed some of Nucor’s other approaches and projects to sustainability including utilization of electric arc furnace steel making, which recycles old steel products into new ones.
“The carbon footprint of this circular production method is lower, much lower than the extractive traditional method,” he said.
Behr said Nucor aims to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 35% by 2030.
Gregg Troian, president of PGT Trucking, spoke at the event and said Nucor has been a customer with PGT for 35 years.
“Today’s announcement builds on these efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions throughout our supply chain from the raw materials and electricity we use to make steel, to how we deliver that to customers,” Behr said.
