Primetals Bags Major Contracts from Thyssenkrupp Duisburg & Bochum
Following the recent approval of investment funds, thyssenkrupp is now forging ahead with implementation of the projects under its Strategy 20-30. The greater part of the contracts , revamp of the casting-rolling line, rebuild of an existing continuous caster, both in Duisburg, and construction of a new double reversing mill in Bochum, have now been awarded to Primetals Technologies Ltd, a Metal-Expo regular exhibitor, a world leading engineering and plant construction company for the metals industry.
All the new-build and revamp measures are to be completed by the end of 2024. They represent an investment in the high three-digit million range. The centrepiece of the quality offensive at thyssenkrupp Steel is the separation of the casting-rolling line at the Bruckhausen plant into a new continuous caster and a hot strip mill with new key components. The existing 20-year-old unit has integrated casting and rolling sections. Its quality capabilities are no longer sufficient to meet future customer requirements.
The plan is for the new and revamped units to be installed with minimum disruption to production. Many major components will be manufactured in advance and then installed. At the same time some existing plant parts can be integrated into the new units, such as the ladle turret, which will be used to supply liquid steel from the melt shop to the new continuous caster. The switch from the existing casting section of the casting-rolling line to the new continuous caster will be carried out from September 2023. The new hot strip mill, the biggest construction measure under the investment package, will be prepared while operations continue and will likewise be connected to the production network from late summer 2023. The hot strip mill will include proven as well as innovative and energy-efficient solutions in the new roughing train, an upgraded finishing train with a highly innovative downstream strip cooling section, and new automation and process models. Comprehensive Industry 4.0 solutions such as integrated process optimization and quality monitoring across the facilities will enhance the viability of the overall project.
A further unit to be built under the forthcoming measures is continuous caster 3. It will replace the existing continuous caster 1 at the Beeckerwerth plant in Duisburg and will likewise provide improved surface quality. It will be built after the revamp of the casting-rolling line in 2024.
Primetals Technologies has also been awarded the contract to build a double reversing mill at the Bochum site. The plant on Essener Strasse will be expanded into a center of excellence for e-mobility over the next few years. Here, too, the trend is towards ever thinner and high-silicon materials, which place increased demands on cold rolling technology. The new double reversing stand will meet these demands and significantly enhance the site’s capabilities for non-oriented electrical steel. With its back and forth (reversing) action, the mill will be able to roll particularly thin materials. This is particularly important for sheet used in electric motors and generators because it minimizes magnetic losses.
