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Nucor Case Study

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Nucor Corporation (A)
We are a cyclical business... Basically when you are at the peak of the cycle—times are good, interest rates are low, people are building—our margins increase. When we go to the trough, of course, the margins are squeezed. But over the last 25 years Nucor has never had a losing quarter. Not only a losing quarter, we have never had a losing month or a losing
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week. —John D. Correnti, President and CEO, Nucor In 1998, Nucor was a Fortune 500 company with 6,900 employees and had sales of $4.3 billion in steel and steel-related products. Its chairman, F. Kenneth Iverson, had headed the company for more than 30 years. During his tenure, the steel industry faced a number of problems, including foreign competition, …show more content…

Achtmeyer Center for Global Leadership

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Nucor Corporation (A)

no. 2-0015

Nucor Cold Finish Products: cold-finished steel products for shafting, precision machined parts. Plants: Norfolk, Nebr.; Darlington, S.C.; Brigham City, Utah. Nucor Fastener Products: standard steel hexhead cap screws, hex bolts, socket head cap screws. Plants: Saint Joe, Ind.; Conway, Ark. Nucor Bearing Products, Inc. Products: unground and semi-ground automotive steel bearings, machined steel parts. Plant: Wilson, N.C. Nucor Building Systems Products: metal buildings, metal building components. Plants: Waterloo, Ind.; Swansea, S.C. Nucor Grinding Balls Products: steel grinding balls, used by the mining industry to process ores. Plant: Brigham City, Utah. Nucor Wire Products: stainless steel wire. Plant: Lancaster, S.C.

Strategy
Nucor’s strategy focused on two major competencies: building steel manufacturing facilities economically and operating them productively. The company’s hallmarks were continuous innovation, modern equipment, individualized customer service, and a commitment to producing high-quality steel and steel products at competitive prices. Nucor was the first in the industry to adopt a number of new products and innovative processes, including thin-slab cast steel, iron carbide, and the direct casting of stainless wire.

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth –

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