Galati hot strip mill automation boosts productivity

Liberty Galati has invested €5.5 million ($6.2m) into the automation of its hot strip mill’s roughing stand and pusher furnaces, which will increase the line’s productivity. It is also replacing all old transformers with modern ones to improve environmental footprint.

The investment will also better integrate technical and operational decisions, improve the quality of coil, and strengthen safety processes, the firm says.

“2021 is the first year we have been really able to see the impact of the modernisation and operational efficiency,” Galati executive director Prasanta Mishra says in a note seen by Kallanish. “The Hot Strip Mill team’s results prove their commitment to deliver both the quality and volumes demanded by customers.”

The Galati steelworks increased third-quarter production by 20% year-on-year. By the end of 2021 the firm will have hired almost 650 new employees this year, with 100 new roles created by increased production, as well as ‘greensteel’ transformation digitalisation and automation projects (see Kallanish passim). Production is expected to reach 3 million tonnes this year.

Adam Smith Germany