British Steel has announced the opening of a £26 million ($31.6m) service centre at its special profiles business in Skinningrove, UK, Kallanish learns.
The site specialises in manufacturing steel profiles for the earth moving, forklift, construction, shipbuilding and mining markets. The investment will establish it as one of the leading suppliers to the forklift truck mast industry.
Its milling capability will primarily service the demanding high-reach forklift truck market. The company adds that the investment will enable the company to explore growth opportunities across the globe for its standard and bespoke forklift mast profiles, with the new warehousing and processing facility forecast to significantly increase throughput within the next two years.
“This is the largest single investment in our special profiles business for more than 30 years, demonstrating our owner’s commitment to strengthening British Steel’s position at the heart of UK manufacturing,” states Richard Napier, British Steel’s sales director for special profiles.
“The new facility also firmly establishes us as one of the world’s leading manufacturers and processors of value-added profiles for the forklift industry. Our extended range of products are designed and manufactured to exact customer requirements, with the new milling capability offering profiles with tolerances of just 0.1mm – precision few global competitors can match,” he adds.
The facility includes four new CNC lathes for turning mill rolls, three automated bandsaws for cutting stock to exact lengths, a laser measurement system for process control of every bar rolled, and a warehousing system for storing and processing material from the rolling mill. It also incorporates a 14-metre bed, milling machines.
Steel for the rolling mill at Skinningrove, including the new service centre, is manufactured in Scunthorpe.
Late last year the company also opened a £10m rail stocking facility in Scunthorpe.
Carrie Bone UK
