It’s official: Nucor steel has been voted the Coolest Thing Made in SC.

Nucor Steel Berkeley beat out 174 other products in this competition held by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, including fellow finalists F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Honda Talon, and the Electrolux and Frigidaire single-door refrigerator and freezer. The big announcement was made yesterday at a news conference in Columbia.

The Huger facility is a mini mill, aka it uses local material sourcing, labor supply, and production. The company uses recycled steel to produce steel bars, which are used in homes, buildings, and building construction.

We hope you have nerves of steel, because we’re about to hit you with some numbers. As of 2017, the company melted 50,000 tons of scrap metal per week, with a production capacity of 3.5 million tons per year, and a power bill of about $8 million per month.

Did you know manufacturing has a $206 billion economic impact each year in SC? And it’s not just important in the state — manufacturing is a leading industry in Lowcountry job growth, accounting for 29,176 jobs in the Charleston region in 2021.

The South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance advocates for advancing manufacturing in the Palmetto State. The Lowcountry Manufacturers Council, which is part of the SCMA, aims to promote development of the manufacturing sector locally.

Here’s how you can manufacture a few ways to recognize one of the Lowcountry’s leading industries:

Support the local manufacturers council by attending the annual golf tournament on April 18 at Wild Dunes Harbor Course.
To learn more about Nucor steel Berkeley, go here.
Say hello and tell us what other manufacturers in CHS you want to hear about.