Feralpi Stahl celebrated on Thursday the launch of its new rolling mill. At €220 million ($247m), it represents the biggest investment so far at the rebar mill in Riesa, Saxony, formerly known as Elbe-Stahlwerke, and today part of Feralpi Group.
The technology, supplied by Danieli, enables a new production method for rebar in coil. A spooler plant has been built where the wire rod is processed directly from the rolling vein into a spooled ring. Previously, this was a two-stage process of hot rolling and cold stretching, followed by spooling.
The upgrade allows for output of larger and heavier coils of up to 8 tonnes, which makes production more efficient, Kallanish hears. Cold processing eliminates stretching and spooling for part of the range of products. Nevertheless, some of the cold-stretched ring production as well as the production of mesh and spacers will remain as part of the mill’s downstream processing section.
Feralpi Stahl highlights that the inauguration also marks the start of the first “green” rolling mill in Germany, enabled by the continuous hot endless rolling process, which prevents scope 1 CO2 emissions. The firm notes it is one of two German steel mills awarded with the EU’s EMAS label for emissions far below the permitted standard.
“We firmly believe in Germany’s growth potential and want to be a driving force behind this economic recovery,” says Feralpi Group president Giuseppe Pasini. “However, to translate this confidence into concrete results, synergic action with German and European politics is essential. In particular, we believe it is crucial to urgently address the issue of high energy prices, which has a heavy impact on the competitiveness of our industry, and to recognise the centrality of ferrous scrap as a strategic raw material for a circular economy and resilient manufacturing.”
Christian Koehl Germany
