FIMIGroup is upgrading the leveling line at SSAB Swedish Steel in Ghedi in Italy. The intervention, which will be completed by next autumn, will enable SSAB to level and cut high-strength steel coils to the lengths desired by customers, thereby improving the quality of the plates and expanding the range of available steels.
The intervention includes expanding production capacity, with the ability to process steels with a yield strength of up to 1,350 MPa, a significant increase from the current 700 MPa. The new capability, which will allow processing of steels up to a thickness of 6.5 millimeters, will meet the demands of customers needing higher-quality plates, including Hardox and Strenx steels, as well as the entire range of carbon steels already present in SSAB's current catalog, such as SSAB Laser, SSAB Domex and SSAB Boron, up to a width of 2,050 millimeters.
With the upgrade of the line, SSAB will be able to reduce lead times and increase flexibility, allowing flattened sheets to be shipped directly in customized lengths, thus optimizing the supply chain. This investment is the result of a collaboration between SSAB Europe and SSAB Special Steels and represents an important step in the ongoing commitment to providing customers with even more efficient and timely service.
FIMIGroup, which has been collaborating with SSAB for over 45 years in Sweden and Italy, played a crucial role in this technological upgrade.
Sergio Sacchi, technical director at FIMI, highlighted the immediate benefits that customers at the Ghedi service center will experience. "Thanks to the introduction of three new brushing machines connected to a filtration system, the scale produced by the straightening and leveling machines will be effectively removed, improving the working environment, protecting the machinery and reducing environmental pollution. Additionally, with more effective internal stress reduction, the sheets will remain flatter even after laser cutting, a unique feature of SSAB Laser steels."