On June 26, the first batch of cold rolled sheets was successfully produced by the new 2,180 mm pickling line of Chinese steelmaker Handan Iron and Steel Co., Hebei-based subsidiary of Hebei Steel Corporation.
The new pickling line has a designed annual production capacity of 2.15 million mt of high-end steel plates, including plates for auto panels and fingerprint resistant electro-galvanized plates.
The pickling line in question is part of Handan Steel's cold rolling project for the construction of a total of four production lines, also including two galvanizing lines and one continuous annealing line. These other three production lines are currently undergoing tests and are expected to be put into production by the end of this year. The total investment in the cold rolling project is expected to reach RMB 6.5 billion ($957 million).