German plantmaker SMS Group has announced that Dillinger France has ordered an upgrade of the cold plate leveler at its Dunkirk heavy plate mill to process advanced high-strength steel grades and broaden its product portfolio while retaining the existing mechanical equipment.
Modernization to improve plate quality
The latest-generation X-Pact Plate Leveler Control will replace the leveling model supplied in 1999, improving plate flatness and residual stress removal through enhanced process control. Optimized roll positioning, bending forces and torque distribution, combined with an integrated 9/5-roll mode, will extend the equipment's operating range without requiring roll changes.
Completion scheduled for December 2027
The project is due for completion by December 2027, with the new model initially running in shadow mode to validate its performance against existing production.
Dillinger France produces more than 600,000 mt of heavy plate annually for applications including offshore wind energy, mechanical engineering, line pipe and boiler construction.
