On June 8, Acciaierie Bertoli Safau (ABS), the steelmaking division of Italy-based Danieli Group, inaugurated its new quality wire rod 4.0 (QWR) plant in the northeast Italian province of Udine, in the presence of guests including president of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Massimiliano Fedriga.
Via online streaming, Italian economic development minister Giancarlo Giorgetti also participated in the ceremony, calling the rolling mill "a real pride for the country."
The plant was built with an investment of €190 million and twenty months of work that saw the close collaboration of the ABS and Danieli teams. The QWR 4.0, described by Mr. Fedriga as "the best plant in the world in the sector" will enable ABS to play a leading role in the international market and will involve the hiring of 158 specialized technicians.
The company explained that QWR 4.0. involves the most advanced technologies that will be used for the production of special and quality steel wire rod. When fully operational, the plant will boast an annual productivity of 500,000 mt at a maximum speed of 400km/h. This will allow ABS to be among the few international industries able to offer the entire dimensional range. With a turnover of €200 million when fully operational, the production will be equally distributed between the local and foreign markets.
Unlike the traditional wire rod for commodities, the new QWR system is mainly designed for the production of special steel wire rod, widely used in the automotive world, for applications such as car suspensions, engine fixing screws, connecting rods and bearings. The areas of use also include drawing and the field of welding.
The plant has been designed to be extremely flexible and to be able to manage small groups of both common steels and special grades, therefore capable of operating according to a "tailor-made" logic. This system introduces multiple innovations in the field of safety, enabling the "zero man on the floor" concept, with most of the process and control activities highly automated.
"The use of industry 4.0 solutions, the attention to sustainability throughout the production process and the ability to combine these two factors with international competitiveness is an added value that must be a guide for all entrepreneurial realities," Mr. Fedriga said.