Iranian steel producer Yazd Steel is planning to start production operations in the next few weeks at its new wire rod mill which has a designed annual capacity of 400,000 mt.
The steelmaker is currently carrying out testing and commissioning of equipment at the new facility which will produce wire rods in diameters of 5.5-10 mm. Construction started on the wire rod mill in 2007, with the total investment cost coming to Rials 600 billion (about $60 million). The mill includes a walking beam furnace with a capacity of 60 mt per hour, a rolling mill, and a mono-block able to produce 75 m/sec of wire rod. The equipment has been supplied by Italian plant maker Nicolini Carpentaria Odolo (NCO).
The Yazd Steel complex, owned by Mohammad Ahramian, was one of Iran's first private sector steel production facilities. It is located on an area of 50 hectares near the central Iranian city of Yazd. The complex already produces billet, plain round bar and rebar.