Indian state-run steel producer Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited has commenced production from its newly constructed caster at its Steel Melt Shop No. 2, enabling it to produce for the first time steel rounds of diameter higher than 430 mm, company sources said on Monday, July 29.
According to the sources, the new caster was built at an investment of around $29 million and is equipped to cast all grades of steel through the submerged casting route.
The commencement of production of rounds from the caster at RINL’s steel mill in the southern Indian port town of Vishakhapatnam is significant as the rounds produced will be supplied to RINL’s upcoming steel forged wheel plant in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the sources said.
The rounds produced at the Vishakhapatnam caster will be used for precision forging and wheel applications, the sources added.
RINL’s forged wheel plant with capacity of 100,000 forged wheel will commence production in September 2019 largely to cater to demand of state transporter Indian Railways and capacity will increase to 200,000 forged wheels per year once production from the unit stabilizes, the sources said.