British Steel has started up a GBP1 million state-of-the art laser measurement system at its Special Profiles business, it said May 19.
The new system enables the steelmaker to monitor dimensional control during the manufacturing process and allows it to make adjustments so its bars meet high dimensional tolerances, British Steel said.
The mill at Skinningrove, northeast England, rolls profiles that are used in a wide range of applications, such as track shoes, forklift masts and cutting-edge profiles, the company said.
The investment comes on top of a GBP26 million upgrade to its Special Profiles business, a company spokesperson told S&P Global Commodity Insights.
British Steel has a crude steel production capacity of about 3 million mt/year. The company makes more than 1,450 different specifications of steel rolled into wire rod, sections, special profiles, rail, billet, bloom and slab. The Scunthorpe works in north Lincolnshire produces primary steel and has four blast furnaces, two of which are currently operating. The company’s rolling facilities are located at its Skinningrove mill.
Platts, part of S&P Global, assessed Medium Sections Europe at Eur1,160 on May 18, up from Eur1,000/mt at the beginning of the year, although prices have eased since hitting a record high of Eur1,500/mt at the end of March.
— Annalisa Villa
