Gerdau Ball Grinding Factory in Duluth shaping the mining industry

DULUTH, Minn.– In Duluth there’s a mining factory producing a one-of-a-kind steel product, that’s in high demand across the country.

The Gerdau Ball Grinding Factory is a global staple for the mining industry, where rods of steel are heated to 2-thousand degrees, and forged into balls.

“We get our raw material, which you can see out in our yard. This comes from Gerdau Mills across North America,” said Kevin Runke, Plant Manager at Gerdau Ball Grinding Factory.

Kevin Ruhnke, the plant manager said, the steel balls are made into 4 sizes, with 98 percent recycled material.

And he said, it’s quite the process to create them.

“It goes into our four forging lines, which we use induction heat to heat the bar, and then we use upset forging to make the grinding ball itself. From there, it goes through a quenching process, both air and water, and then tempers before we release it to our customers,” explained Ruhnke.

The end product can be found up on the Iron Range, they are also distributed in North America, Canada, and South America.

” From our small footprint here in Duluth, we have a pretty big reach. And then Gurdeau as well. It’s a pretty unknown name, especially in the Duluth area, but it is a worldwide steel producer,” said Ruhnke.

The balls break down dirt, and from that, precious metals can be sourced.

Ruhnke said, that’s not the only thing they’re used for.

“They also use them at like power plants. They’re using the cement industry. We have one two people come in and buy them as cannonballs,” said Ruhnke.

The process truly is the circle of life, as they are often repurposed, and used to further produce iron ore.