NLMK Group, an international metallurgical company, has begun hot tests of the accelerated metal cooling system at the hot plate mill of the Danish company NLMK DanSteel. The new equipment will make it possible to qualitatively change the product mix and increase the share of niche thick plate production, including for offshore wind power and pressure vessels.
An accelerated cooling unit is built into the stream of a hot rolling mill. After rolling to the final thickness, the sheet is fed to the plant and quickly cooled with water. Thermomechanical treatment makes it possible to obtain a thick sheet with better weldability while improving the strength and toughness characteristics. Improved weldability is especially important in the production of underwater foundations for wind turbines operating in hostile environments.
The new installation will increase the production of niche premium plate from the current 0.1 million tonnes to 0.35 million tonnes.
“The introduction of new equipment in the rolling line at NLMK DanSteel is an important project of Strategy 2022. It provides an opportunity to qualitatively improve the product mix to meet high consumer requirements for the mechanical properties of the sheet. This will allow us to reorient ourselves to the premium segment of the machine-building market and increase the share of niche thick plates in the company's portfolio to 45%, ”commented Ben de Vos, Chairman of the Board of NLMK International.
Investments in the project amounted to more than 20 million Euro. The main equipment for the accelerated cooling unit and the water treatment complex was supplied by SMS. At present, the equipment is being adjusted and the development of thermomechanical rolling and accelerated cooling is underway. After the completion of hot tests, the new equipment will be tested on different assortments in the warranty test mode, while product certification will take place in parallel. From the third quarter of 2019, it is planned to start production of large industrial batches of sheet for energy projects.
Information about NLMK Group
NLMK Group - a vertically integrated metallurgical company, the largest in Russia and one of the most efficient producers of steel products in the world.
NLMK Group's metal products are used in various industries, from construction and mechanical engineering to power equipment and offshore wind turbines.
NLMK's production assets are located in Russia, Europe and the United States. The company's steel production capacity exceeds 17 million tonnes per year.
NLMK demonstrates high cost competitiveness among global manufacturers, and the company's profitability is one of the highest in the industry. The company's revenue for 2018 was $ 12 billion, EBITDA was $ 3.6 billion. The Net Debt /EBITDA ratio was 0.25x. The company has investment grade credit ratings from S&P, Moody's, Fitch and RAEX (Expert RA).
NLMK's common shares, which free-float is 16%, are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (ticker “NLMK "), Global depository shares - on the London Stock Exchange (ticker" NLMK: LI "). The share capital of the Company is divided into 5,993,227,240 ordinary shares with a par value of 1 Russian ruble. For more information on NLMK's share capital, please follow the link.
The jury of the prestigious international competition S&P Global Platts Metals Awards, held by the leading international industry and analytical publication S&P Global Platts, in 2016 recognized the NLMK Group as the world “Leader of the steel industry "(Industry Leadership Awards - Steel), awarded the CEO of the Year award in 2018.
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