On May 1, Lovere, Bergamo-based Italian steel producer Lucchini RS inaugurated a new state-of-the-art rolling line for the production of train wheels with an annual capacity of 100,000 units. The line in question, built by German equipment provider SMS Meer, is the only rolling line in the world that cuts and produces wheels in a single continuous sequence. The new rolling line has a methane furnace with a diameter of 23 m that can produce up to 40 mt/hour at a temperature of 1,280 °C.
With the commissioning of the new rolling line, Lucchini RS can produce up to 240,000 train wheels annually. Lucchini RS president Giuseppe Lucchini stated that the new plant can reach a better quality standard and cut costs by using less steel than usual to produce wheels.