INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS - A division of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. is planning to grow its operations in DeKalb County.

Nucor announced Thursday that it will invest $59 million to expand the Vulcraft Indiana manufacturing plant in St. Joe and create 20 full-time jobs by the end of 2027.

According to a news release from Gov. Mike Braun’s Office, the company will build and equip a 127,000-square-foot facility on its 250-acre site.

The company said the expansion will add capabilities to produce steel grating products used for industrial flooring and stair treads. The St. Joe plant currently produces steel joist and girders as well as steel decking products that are used primarily in nonresidential construction.

“We are pleased to be growing our Vulcraft business in Indiana with this investment to better serve our customers and strengthen our downstream production capabilities,” John Hollatz, executive vice president of fabricated construction products at Nucor, said in a news release. “Vulcraft is where Nucor got its start in the steel industry, and it remains an important part of our growth today.”

The St. Joe facility, located at 6610 Co. Rd. 60, currently employs about 300 people. The governor’s office said the new jobs will come with average wages more than 150% of the DeKalb County average.

Nucor plans to break ground on the project in the fourth quarter.

“This significant investment in Vulcraft’s operations will continue to propel innovation and excellence in Indiana manufacturing, putting Hoosiers at the forefront of producing critical products used around the country and across the world,” Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich said.

The project is the latest investment in Indiana from Nucor. In 2023, the company announced plans for a $115 million utility structures manufacturing facility in Crawfordsville. That facility is located near Nucor’s sheet steel mill, which is undergoing a $290 million modernization effort.

Vulcraft was founded in 1946 and was acquired by Nucor in 1962. The St. Joe plant opened in 1972 and is one of Nucor’s 10 steel joist and decking plants in the U.S. Nucor has more than a dozen locations around Indiana, employing more than 2,600 people.