Dunaferr, Hungary-based subsidiary of Ukrainian steel producer Industrial Union of Donbass (ISD), has announced the inauguration of new equipment at its cold rolling mill under the first phase of its Cold Rolling Mill project. The total cost of the delivered equipment is €160 million.
Under the scope of the project, Dunaferr is to increase its cold rolling mill production capacity and improve the mill's production quality.
The project is to be implemented in two phases. The first phase covers the installation of the new hydrochloric acid pickling line with an annual capacity of 1.6 million mt; extension of capacity at the acid generation plant, which is required for the pickling line; installation of a new 1,700 mm wide four-high cold reversing mill stand with an annual capacity of 450,000 mt, which is to double the capacity of the cold rolling mill; construction of new equipment for transporting HRC between the hot rolling mill and cold rolling mill; and the construction of a new 30,000 mt capacity HRC store, which is to serve as a logistics base between the hot rolling mill and the cold rolling mill.
Dunaferr is working in close cooperation with Austria-based engineering and equipment supplying company VAI Siemens and also with Hungarian construction company KÉSZ Közép-Európai Építő és Szerelő Kft for the implementation of its Cold Rolling Mill project.
From 2006 to 2012, ISD is to implement a significant investment program at Dunaferr. The implementation of the first phase of the program is to increase Dunaferr's hot rolling mill annual production capacity to three million mt from 1.8 million mt, its cold rolling mill annual production capacity to approximately one million mt from 500,000 mt and its pickling line capacity to 1.6 million mt from 500,000 mt.
In the period up to 2010, the full amount of the investment in question is expected to exceed €550 million.