On average, according to World Steel Dynamics, a consultancy, the mini-mills use less than one-third of the labour that the integrated mills need to make a tonne of sheet steel.

ECONOMIST: Steel: Rust never sleeps | The

After a period of high prices, with few exceptions the cost of scrap has been on the decline for more than a year, and Steel Dynamics has managed to increase the spread between the price of steel scrap and its average selling price per ton.

FORBES: The Best Of The Best