Welded pipe producer Arvedi Tubi Acciaio (ATA), a subsidiary of the Italian steel group Arvedi, has announced the start of construction of a 10,000 m2 enclosed space in the Porto Canale area of Cremona that will host a new heat treatment furnace for structural pipe products. The order for the furnace has already been placed with a leading company that is specialized in "green" plants for Industry 4.0.
The construction work has already started and Arvedi plans to begin production with its new furnace - whose plant and process technology is covered by international patents - by next summer.
According to Arvedi, the new furnace has an exclusive system that allows the achievement of a unique product in the market both in terms of mechanical characteristics and precision, and which will serve above all the advanced sector for steel constructions. The investment in the project amounts to around €20 million.
The plant is also set to double its size in 2020. At the end, it will employ approximately 40 workers, for whom a specific technical and metallurgical training will be required.
Pierluigi Pegorari, CEO of ATA, stated, "We are particularly pleased and proud to announce today this important investment thanks to which we are aiming to grow rapidly and to become European leaders in the hot structural pipe production segment. The integration with Acciaieria Arvedi will allow us to develop increasingly high-quality steel grades that are able to meet and anticipate the growing demands of our customers in terms of material performance. This is also a green and high-technology project that fits perfectly into the innovative spirit that, thanks to the intuition of our president Giovanni Arvedi, has always distinguished our group and that aims at the maximum competitiveness in the market with particular attention to the environment."
ATA has a turnover of around €400 million, with its exports accounting for a share of approximately 60%, with Germany and the US among the main export markets.