By JEFF AMY

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) _ Steel Dynamics will invest $100 million to add more steel finishing capacity at its Columbus, Mississippi mill.

The company, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, announced its plans Thursday, saying it would add 40 employees to the current 630.

Federal, state and local governments will give Steel Dynamics at least $12 million in incentives and property tax breaks. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to cut property taxes for 10 years.

Steel Dynamics will add a line to make pre-painted steel, as well as a line to coat steel with zinc and aluminum. Such a coating is more resistant to corrosion than the traditional galvanized coating, using only zinc. The company says that the mill’s ability to make wide coils of steel, plus its southern location, drove the decision.