Feralpi Stahl, the German rebar mill of Italy’s Feralpi Group, says it will stop production for four weeks for repair work.
The stoppage will last from 20 December to around 20 January. Feralpi Stahl notes that such maintenance is carried out every year around this time, but does not state if the duration is the same as in previous years.
Market sources told Kallanish earlier that numerous rebar mills have lowered production in recent months on account of weak demand, and are likely to extend maintenance breaks in winter. Feralpi Stahl has so far been the only mill to make an official announcement to this effect.
This year, the focus at the mill has been on replacing the cradle frame for the melting furnace, which is a solid steel structure on which the electric arc furnace stands and is moved.
In addition, it will undertake a conversion and addition of billet transport systems between the continuous casting plant and the rolling mill furnace. This is a vital measure to create a link between the existing steelworks and rolling mill A, with the ultra-modern, emission-free rolling mill B currently under construction, Feralpi Stahl notes. It adds that rolling mill B is a key facility for the mill on the path to producing green steel in Riesa.
Christian Koehl Germany