German steelmaker thyssenkrupp is to invest in a new walking beam furnace in its Hot Strip Mill 2 in Duisburg as part of the company's Strategy 20-30. The new equipment will ensure a significantly improved surface quality of premium sheets, which are used for exterior car body shells.
The first orders will be placed shortly, and completion is scheduled for 2022. The project involves an investment volume in the mid double-digit million range, claims the company.
According to ThyssenKrupp, Steel Strategy 20-30 targets optimisation of the production network and the consistent orientation of the product portfolio to future markets and profitable steel grades. These include multi-phase steels, lightweight construction steels and grades with a high surface quality.
The investment, claims the company, will strengthen the production base of high-quality, non-oriented electrical steels, which Dr. Arnd Köfler, chief technology officer of thyssenkrupp Steel claims is essential for e-mobility.
Mr. Köfler commented: “The new walking beam furnace enables us to secure our technological capabilities and thus to ensure our competitiveness through the quality of our products also in future. Through this investment, we are meeting the ever increasing demands of our automotive customers for better surface qualities. We want to secure our technological leadership also in the next generation of high-end steels“.
The new unit measures over 50 metres in length and will be built in Hot Strip Mill 2 at the Beeckerwerth plant in Duisburg as part of an ongoing revamping project.
ThyssenKrupp claims that the walking beam furnace ensures that surface defects are prevented during the reheating and rolling of slabs. This is achieved by special lifting and lowering devices, which prevent damage to the surfaces of the slabs, which can weigh up to 30 tonnes.
Before the new furnace is built, the old one will be dismantled. Completion of the unit is scheduled for 2022.
The focus of ThyssenKrupp's Steel Strategy 20-30 is the targeted optimisation of the production network and the consistent orientation of the product portfolio to future markets and profitable steel grades, such as multi-phase steels, lightweight construction steels and grades with a high surface quality. The new equipment ensures that the production base of high-quality, non-oriented electrical steels is strengthened, which will be of essential importance for e-mobility.
“The new walking beam furnace enables us to secure our technological capabilities and thus to ensure our competitiveness through the quality of our products also in future. Through this investment, we are meeting the ever increasing demands of our automotive customers for better surface qualities. We want to secure our technological leadership also in the next generation of high-end steels," concluded Dr. Köfler.