Salzgitter AG presents new hot dip galvanizing line - 70 new jobs created
by David Fleschen
With its “hot dip galvanizing line no. 3” project (FV3), the Salzgitter Group has made its largest single investment of the past ten years. Around € 200 million has been invested in this complex, large-scale plant which will enable Group subsidiary Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH to expand its position as a leading supplier in the premium segment. The SMS group based in Düsseldorf is partnering the project as plant manufacturer.
The new production plant with an annual capacity of 500,000 tons supplements the two existing hot dip galvanizing lines. It represents an essential element in the Salzgitter Group strategy which focuses on qualitative growth in flat rolled steel products. The new line will further strengthen the Group’s position as a leading manufacturer of premium products for national and international customers in the automobile industry and the domestic appliance sector. In addition, 70 new jobs will be created as the new plant comes into operation.
Ulrich Grethe, member of Group management and CEO of Salzgitter Flachstahl, stated: “The new hot dip galvanizing line is an essential element in safeguarding the future competitiveness of Salzgitter as a center of steelmaking and the jobs that go with it, because this investment will enable us to further expand our existing high-quality product portfolio. In this way we can support our customers’ own ongoing development by offering the material concepts they need as well as the associated service.”
“I would like to thank the many companies and employees who have participated in this project: Despite the adverse conditions imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic, we have remained on schedule,” explained Dr.-Ing. Michael Brühl, Operations Director, cold rolled products at Salzgitter Flachstahl. “Even as planning and construction stages progressed, we were already engaged in close discussions with our customers regarding material concepts. The ramp-up phase is now in full swing, and we are confident that we will very quickly be delivering the desired qualities.”
Operational readiness was achieved in October 2022. The plant will shortly be producing high- and ultra-high-strength steels for vehicle body and chassis applications which play an important role in both lightweight automobile design and vehicle safety.
In the domestic appliances sector, the steel products feature in applications such as sophisticated surface components.
The new plant will produce hot dip galvanized sheet with thicknesses between 0.7 and 2.5 millimeters, in widths between 900 and 1,700 millimeters. The coils of strip will have a maximum weight of 32 tons.
The annealing furnace is the centerpiece of the new plant. In comparison with the existing hot dip galvanizing lines, the material will now be heated and cooled significantly faster in the furnace and reach a higher annealing temperature. These are precisely the characteristics that support the production of high- and ultra-high-strength steel grades. What’s more, the configuration of the line as a whole also fulfills the structural as well as technical requirements for the implementation of further innovative material concepts.
Source and Photo: Salzgitter