New ThyssenKrupp Mill Begins Producing Stainless Cold-Roll
ThyssenKrupp’s new Calvert, Ala., stainless steel mill has begun operations with the opening of a 64-inch cold-rolling mill. Cold-rolled capacity at the plant is initially 100,000 metric tons a year and will increase over time to a maximum 140,000 tons a year. Various units have gone into operation to produce and further process the cold-rolled strip, including a Sendzimir mill, a cold-rolled annealing and pickling line, a skin pass stand, as well as finishing equipment such as coil polishing, slitting and cut-to-length lines.
“Three very challenging years are behind us. The start of production marks a key milestone. I am proud of our team, who has mastered this complex project so successfully in a difficult economic environment,” says Ulrich Albrecht-Früh, CEO of ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA. “For our customers it represents an important signal. They can now source their material directly from our new state-of-the-art mill and can find people here who can deal with their specific requirements, something we couldn’t offer economically in the USA before.”
Construction of the other units is either planned or in progress. For example, the foundation works for the hot-rolled annealing and pickling line began in January 2010, with startup scheduled for fall 2011. The construction and ramp-up of the remaining units is being kept flexible, as is the case with the startup of the melt shop, he adds.