Russian steel producer Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has officially commissioned the second stage of its new cold rolling complex.
The complex, capable of producing 2 million mt of finished products, will primarily produce high-quality cold rolled and galvanized steel to be used in the production of exterior and interior car parts, as well as for use by home appliance manufacturers and the construction industry. MMK's total investment in the project reached RUB 44.5 billion ($1.363 billion), including the cost of the equipment which totaled €490 million ($599.7 million).
The contract to deliver the equipment for the first stage of the cold rolling complex - the mill 2000 - was signed by MMK in July 2007 with the German machinery maker SMS Demag.
Construction began in March 2008. In July 2011, the first stage of the complex (a continuous turbulent pickling line linked to the five-stand cold rolling mill 2000) came on line.
Finished product specifications are in a thickness range of 0.28-3.0 mm and in a width range of 850-1,880 mm, in coils weighing up to 43.5 mt. The annual production capacity of the new complex includes 700,000 mt of galvanized steel, 400,000 mt of cold rolled products and 900,000 mt of cold-worked coils. The maximum mill speed is 1,500 m per minute.
The complex is expected to achieve full capacity by the end of the current year.