Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Note 1.  Description of the Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of the Business

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), together with its subsidiaries (the company), is a domestic manufacturer of steel products and metals recycler. The company has three reporting segments: steel operations, metals recycling and ferrous resources operations, and steel fabrication operations.

Steel Operations.  Steel operations include the company’s Flat Roll Division, Structural and Rail Division, Engineered Bar Products Division, Roanoke Bar Division, Steel of West Virginia (SWVA) and The Techs operations. These operations consist of mini-mills, producing steel from steel scrap, using electric arc furnaces, continuous casting, automated rolling mills, and downstream finishing facilities. The company’s steel operations sell directly to end users and service centers. These products are used in numerous industry sectors, including the automotive, construction, commercial, transportation and industrial machinery markets. Steel operations accounted for approximately 61% and 60% of the company’s external net sales during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and 60% and 61% of the company’s external net sales during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Metals Recycling and Ferrous Resources Operations. Metals recycling and ferrous resources operations are primarily composed of the company’s steel scrap procurement and processing locations, operated through the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, OmniSource Corporation (OmniSource), as well as Iron Dynamics (IDI), the company’s liquid pig iron facility. In addition, the impact related to the ongoing start-up of the Mesabi Nugget ironmaking facility and future mining operations, both in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota is also included in this segment. Metals recycling and ferrous resources operations accounted for approximately 35% and 36% of the company’s external net sales during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and 36% and 35% during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Steel Fabrication Operations.  Steel fabrication operations represent the company’s New Millennium Building Systems plants located throughout the United States and Northern Mexico. Revenues from these plants are generated from the fabrication of trusses, girders, steel joists and steel decking used within the non-residential construction industry. Steel fabrication operations accounted for approximately 3% of the company’s external net sales during each of the three-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, and 3% and 2% during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SDI, together with its wholly and majority-owned or controlled subsidiaries, after elimination of significant intercompany accounts and transactions.  Noncontrolling interests represent the noncontrolling owner’s proportionate share in the equity, income, or losses of the company’s majority-owned or controlled consolidated subsidiaries.

Use of Estimates. These financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and, accordingly, include amounts that require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and in the notes thereto.  Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill; valuation allowances for trade receivables, inventories and deferred income tax assets; income taxes; unrecognized income tax benefits; potential environmental liabilities; and litigation claims and settlements. Actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions.

In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim period results. These financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Goodwill.  The company’s goodwill is allocated to the following reporting units at June 30, 2011, and December 31, 2010, (in thousands):

	June 30,		December 31,
	2011		2010
OmniSource — Metals Recycling/Ferrous Resources Segment	$	574,634	$	577,926
The Techs — Steel Segment	142,783		142,783
Roanoke Bar Division — Steel Segment	29,041		29,041
New Millennium Building Systems — Fabrication Segment	1,925		1,925
	$	748,383	$	751,675

OmniSource goodwill decreased $3.3 million from December 31, 2010 to June 30, 2011, in recognition of the 2011 tax benefit related to the amortization of the component of OmniSource tax-deductible goodwill in excess of book goodwill.