minimill

[ min-ee-mil ]

noun

1. a small mill or manufacturing plant, especially a steel plant that utilizes electric furnaces to melt down scrap for producing its products.

Word History and Origins

Origin of minimill¹

First recorded in 1970–75; mini- + mill ¹

Example Sentences

“Big steelmakers everywhere are finding that the economies of scale that helped them prevail since Andrew Carnegie’s day no longer favor them,” I wrote in February 1993, noting that some expected Nucor, the leading minimill, to replace U.S.

From Washington Post

A modern steel mill, called a minimill, for example, is mostly automated and needs a fraction of the workers needed at an older mill.

From New York Times

The reason was a new technology called the minimill.

From New York Times

MiniMill Technologies Inc. of Syracuse, New York, Fibre Technologies of Reading, Pennsylvania, and Mumbai-based Kejriwal Singapore International have said they want to buy the facility and resume production.

From Washington Times

In the case of steel, Lepore points out that Christensen never mentions unions, which were a huge difference between the older firms and the newer companies whose “minimill” facilities he points to as the agent of disruption.

From BusinessWeek