Manufacturing News
September 18, 2026
September 18, 2026 · DeKalb County · Story 1 of 3
Vulcraft DeKalb County: The Bundling Play Your Suppliers Can't Match
Nucor confirmed a $59 million investment to build a new 127,000-square-foot facility on Vulcraft Indiana's existing 250-acre campus in St. Joe, DeKalb County. Groundbreaking is planned for Q4 2026, with up to 20 new jobs averaging more than 150% of the DeKalb County wage average targeted by end of 2027.
Most coverage has focused on job creation. That's the wrong lens. When this expansion is complete, Vulcraft Indiana will be the only Midwest campus capable of supplying steel joists, joist girders, deck, and grating from a single order. Standalone grating competitors (Ohio Gratings, AMICO, McNichols) cannot replicate that from one location without Nucor's vertically integrated cost structure behind them.
The demand anchor is already in place. Amazon's $15 billion New Carlisle data center campus sits inside Vulcraft Indiana's natural delivery radius. AIA projects that steel grating demand from data center construction will grow 33% in 2026 and 25% in 2027.
If your team is still sourcing industrial grating from a standalone distributor, this bundling option changes your negotiating position on both pricing and lead time.
For your morning huddle
- Q
What does the Nucor Vulcraft DeKalb County expansion mean for Indiana steel grating buyers?
When the new facility is complete, Vulcraft Indiana will be the only Midwest campus supplying joists, joist girders, deck, and grating from a single order. Standalone grating distributors cannot replicate that bundling from one location, which changes your pricing and lead-time leverage if you're sourcing from a regional competitor.
From the brief, September 18, 2026
- Vulcraft DeKalb County: The Bundling Play Your Suppliers Can't Match
- AES Indiana Rate Rehearing: Phase 2 Hits in January Either Way
- Nucor and Steel Dynamics Q3 Guidance: What the Miss Signals for Steel Buyers
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