Conserving energy and protecting the environment were the topics of discussion at a recent conference held in Beijing, China.

The conclusion reached at the event hosted by SMS Group (Germany) and an organisation comprising various Chinese ministries, was that the metallurgical industry is in a position to reconcile environmental and financial concerns concurrently.

Continuous Mill Technology (CMT), for example, is extremely energy-efficient. By linking the steel works directly to the rolling mill, the SMS group’s specialists have developed Compact Strip production (CSP) a process which coordinates continuous casting and rolling more efficiently.

In cost terms, CMT saves around €11/t, while also cutting CO2 emissions by 72kt per mill annually.