On August 20, Austria-based plantmaker Siemens VAI Metals Technologies (Siemens VAI) announced that it has received an order from Chinese stainless steel producer Taigang Group International Trade Co. Ltd (Taigang Group) for the modernization of a hot-strip mill at its subsidiary Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Co. Ltd., located in Taiyuan, China. The project comprises the supply of engineering, equipment, electrics and automation in addition to various services to increase mill performance, product quality and the product range.
The contract value for Siemens VAI is a low two-digit million euro figure and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Taigang Group is the largest Chinese producer of stainless steel and one of the most important producers of long and flat products in China. Two hot-strip mills are operated by Taigang Group in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. The hot-strip mill to be modernized was originally purchased as a second-hand facility from Japan and was subsequently relocated to Taiyuan in 1994. In 2002, the mill was initially modernized by Siemens to enable an annual production output exceeding three million metric tons. In order to further improve mill performance and product quality as well as to extend the product mix, Taigang Group has commissioned Siemens VAI to revamp this rolling facility once again.