German plantmaker SMS Group has announced that Chinese steelmaker Qingdao Iron and Steel has started production at its special bar quality (SBQ) mill after granting the final acceptance certificate to SMS Group.
After a short ramp-up phase, the new SBQ mill is now producing a wide range of steel grades with very good mechanical properties with an annual capacity of around 700,000 mt of steel bar.
SMS Group said that, with the installation of the SBQ mill, Qingdao Iron and Steel has strengthened its position in the market and has extended its product portfolio by now being able to also roll high-grade special steels.