FEATURE | AISTECH 2026
More than 500 exhibitors from across the industry will pitch up for AISTech 2026.
Steel’s Big River 2, Hybar’s initial mill, and Nucor Lexington continues to ramp up. Felix Bello, a senior steel analyst at Fastmarkets, also observes that Steel Dynamics’ three million tonne Sinton, Texas, sheet mill and Nucor’s 1.2 million tonne Brandenburg, Kentucky, plate mill are approaching full capacity. He also notes that Hybar could potentially build
three or four additional steel mills in the Southeast and could even make a decision on a second mill in Osceola, Arkansas, in the first half of 2026. Also, Cleveland-Cliffs and South Korea’s POSCO have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a yet unspecified strategic partnership, which Bello says could potentially allow POSCO, who owns Hyundai Steel, to support and grow its current US customer base while also meeting US trade and origin requirements. He also adds that Gerdau is reportedly considering reshoring some special bar quality (SBQ) bar capacity from Mexico to the US.
“Overhead crane and hoist companies are
interested in what investments steel companies are making, as well other potential changes in the steelmakers’ focuses, including whether they are looking to become more automated,” Ronald Piso, sales manager for GW Becker, declares. Cervis’s Butter agrees that the steel mills’ investments are also expected to have a big
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impact upon overhead crane and hoist demand, stating that each of the new US steel mills being built will need as many as 50 to 80 new cranes at the same time as many existing steel facilities are looking to upgrade their cranes. “New features and technologies are in the
forefront of everyone’s mind,” Butter says, noting, “Companies want to see what is new and what can provide them with added performance and safety at a better cost for their desired end result – making and processing steel.” Ashburn says that on 4 May, AISTech
2026’s technical conference will be kicked off with a presentation by Pinakin C Chaubal, vice president and chief technology officer at ArcelorMittal – the recipient of AIST’s J Keith Brimacombe Memorial Lecture Award. He will be discussing the scaling of new technologies and will share his perspective on ways the steel industry can level up new processes and processes and equipment to operate on a commercial scale. Leon J Topalian, chairman and chief executive officer of Nucor Corp., will be delivering the Hogan Memorial Lecture on 5 May at the President’s Award Breakfast, during which AIST will be recognising a number of individuals for their technical achievements related to iron and steel production.
Leading discussions leading the way Another signature AISTech 2026 event is the 6 May Town Hall Forum, during which Kevin Lewis, executive vice president of US Steel; Doug Matthews, president and chief executive officer of Orion Steel; Jack Sullivan, Nucor’s chief financial officer; Kristopher Westbrooks, Metallus’s president and chief operating officer; and Paul Lawrence, CMC’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, will discuss the state of the steel industry, including capital allocation strategies, investments in physical plants and energy strategies. Ashburn also noted that AIST’s more than
two dozen technology committees that address the engineering, equipment and reliability technologies associated with its part of the steel production process – all of which will be meeting at AISTech. These committees include three focused upon
material movement and transportation – a cranes committee, a material handing committee and a transportation and logistics committee. He said that it could be said that for the cranes committee its AISTech meeting could be considered to be the opening act for AIST’s Crane Symposium – a premier event dedicated to the latest innovations, challenges and best practices in technologies for cranes used by the steel industry.
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