Romanian stainless steel producer Otelinox is continuing to reduce emissions: the company has installed a new electrically heated BA3 bright annealing line supplied by Japan’s Chugai Ro.
The line is designed to process stainless steel strip 0.07–1.0 mm thick and 600–1320 mm wide, Kallanish reports.
The contract was signed in January 2023. Following the completion of design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning, the line produced its first coil in December 2025.
According to the supplier, electric heating reduces CO₂ emissions associated with burning fuel to process metal. The new line is expected to lower emissions during production and help bring the company closer to carbon neutrality.
“This high-quality stainless steel is expected to be in demand in fast-growing industries, such as the production of batteries for electric vehicles and heat exchangers for data centers,” Chugai Ro said in a press release.
“The delivery of the BA3 unit marked an important milestone in Chugai Ro’s expansion in the European heat-treatment equipment market, one of the company’s key business areas. Going forward, the company intends to strengthen its position in global markets, including Europe, by offering equipment and technologies that help customers reduce CO₂ emissions, improve product quality and increase productivity,” the company said.
Chugai Ro and Otelinox have been working together since 1977, when the Japanese company supplied the steelmaker with continuous annealing and pickling lines for intermediate and final processing of stainless steel. Over the past five decades, the partners have also developed close ties: in 2002, Chugai Ro supplied Otelinox with its first BA1 continuous bright annealing line. Their long-standing partnership and mutual trust paved the way for the order of the new BA3 unit.
Otelinox has the capacity to produce more than 60,000 tonnes of stainless steel strip and sheet a year. The plant is located in Târgoviște, Romania.
Author: Svetoslav Abrosimov, Bulgaria
