Mechel launches new production complex for high quality and stainless steels

Monday, 26 July 2010 15:18:35 (GMT+2)

The Russian mining and steel producing group Mechel has announced the launch on July 23 this year by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of a new production complex for high quality steels and stainless steels in the arc-furnace melting shop No. 6 at its subsidiary Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant.

The complex includes two machines for out-of-furnace processing of high quality steel, i.e., ladle furnace No. 2 and a vacuum degasser, officially commissioned on July 16 this year, as well as the slab caster No. 2 for the production of stainless and special steel, which on July 23 produced its first slab.

Accordingly, the commissioning of the new complex is expected to result in improvement of casted steel quality, in increasing annual output of slabs from 600,000 mt to 1.2 million mt, in significant product range expansion and in decreases in consumption of raw materials and power. In addition, it will allow Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant to increase output of plates and coils of corrosion-resistant steel grades, competing in quality with the products of the leading European producers, after reconstruction of the plant's rolling facilities.

"Implementation of this project will allow Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant to start production of new types of stainless flat products... Currently, these products are not manufactured by Russian metallurgical plants. Thus, commissioning of this new complex will result in the decrease in the share of imported products and in the complete elimination of imports in a number of product groups," Mechel's board chairman Igor Zyuzin commented.

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