Dutch service centre Laura Metaal completes equipment upgrade

Laura Metaal, a steel service centre located in Maastricht in the Netherlands has finalised the modernisation of equipment announced at the beginning of 2017.

With an investment of €5 million ($6m), the company has completed an overhaul of decoiling, levelling and straightening devices, commercial director Pieter Haumann tells Kallanish. The decoiler was newly installed in 2009. During the overhaul, three parts were upgraded which will now enable the machine to handle material of 1,250 Newton per mm², “… which is a strength we could not do before,” he says.

Laura Metaal handles coils in widths of up to 2 metres, and cuts, pickles and oils for third party customers. “We are not a steel sheet supplier,” Haumann emphasises. “We decoil steel to sheet for anyone who needs it,” he says. “Our customers are rolling mills and distributors, big and small.”

The service centre’s annual capacity of 400, 000 tonnes was not changed by the upgrade, which was intended to strengthen the machinery’s processing capability. The company is owned 49% by Tata Steel “… so at 51% we are an independent, and so we have to keep our trousers up,” says Haumann, picturesquely describing his company’s motivation. In terms of the general market he believes that high-strength steels are becoming more important.

Kallanish