France-based machine industry company Fives Group has signed a major contract with Chinese steelmaker Yongfeng Group for the design and supply of annealing furnaces for new strip processing lines in China.
The project concerns Yongfeng Group’s new steel production facility currently under construction in Linyi, Shandong Province. According to Fives, the plant is intended to produce a wide range of high-grade flat steel products, including exposed and non-exposed automotive sheets and advanced high-strength steels.
Three Stein Digiflex® annealing furnaces to be installed
Fives stated that the contract includes the design and supply of three Stein Digiflex® annealing furnaces. The furnaces will be installed across two continuous galvanizing lines and one continuous annealing line at Yongfeng Group’s new facility. The plantmaker stated that the annealing furnaces are designed to meet stringent metallurgical requirements and operational conditions associated with high-end steel grades.
Stéphane Mehrain, vice president of marketing and sales, steel global sales, at Fives, stated that the project represents the beginning of a long-term cooperation with Yongfeng Group, and added that the company’s process technologies are intended to help meet demanding metallurgical targets and surface quality requirements for galvanized steel products.
Furnaces equipped with AdvanTek® and FlashCooling® systems
According to Fives, the new vertical annealing furnaces will be equipped with the latest generation of the AdvanTek® combustion system, which the plantmaker describes as providing energy efficiency, fuel flexibility and low emissions. The furnaces will also feature the FlashCooling® rapid cooling system, which Fives describes as a cooling technology capable of operating with high hydrogen gas.
