SSAB expands production at Italian service centre
SSAB Swedish Steel’s service centre in Ghedi, Italy, is set to expand its production of cut-to-length sheets in higher strength grades while also improving quality.
The steel producer is to upgrade its cut-to-length (CTL) line to start production of higher strength steels with the aim to respond to current and future market demand, Kallanish learns from the company.
The initiative will allow the service centre to provide cut-to-length sheets of enhanced strength grades from coils, including most hot-rolled strip Hardox abrasion-resistant steels and Strenx structural steels.
The current facility processes coils with yield strengths of 700MPa or lower. The works will elevate the capacity to 1350MPa with a thickness of 6.5mm, enabling the cutting of ultra-high strength SSAB coils to any desired length, resulting in enhanced surface quality and flatness.
“The upgraded capacity means SSAB will ship a greater range of steels to Italy as coils, which is faster and more efficient than shipping cut lengths in packaged bundles from Sweden,” a company note says.
It adds that the Ghedi facility, which has a 80,000t/year capacity, will also be better able to handle low-to-mid production volumes in higher strength grades for a variety of sheet lengths.
“The Ghedi cut-to-length (CTL) line can already handle coils as wide as 2050mm, assuring compatibility with SSAB’s future mini-mills, which will be able to produce coils up to 2-meters wide.”
According to FIMI Machinery, which will carry out the upgrade, Ghedi customers are going to notice immediate improvements in their cut steel sheets.
“With three new brushing machines connected to a filtration system, the scale (iron oxide) produced by the straightener and levellers will be extracted to protect workers, machinery, and the environment. There will be less imprints on the surface, which means improved surface quality. And due to better stress removal, the sheets will be flatter, which is key for SSAB Laser grades,” they said,
The upgrade for 2025 is planned to coincide with the centre’s standard maintenance window, which spans from July to September. The equipment is projected to be operational in autumn this year.
Natalia Capra France
