On July 28, Guangxi Province-based Chinese steelmaker Guangxi Iron and Steel Group (Liuzhou Steel Fangchenggang Base) officially launched the 3,800 mm wide and heavy plate production line technical upgrade project, encompassing the heat treatment line and Phase II of the heavy plate area. This project is a pivotal move in Liuzhou Steel Group's strategy of advancing its development toward the sea and its "4+X" product quality innovation drive. The groundbreaking represents a critical milestone in the company's efforts to enhance its high-end wide and heavy plate manufacturing capabilities and accelerate the transformation of its product structure.
The Phase II project will add a new No. 2 heat treatment furnace, and upon completion, the plant's total heat treatment capacity for steel plates will reach 400,000 mt per year.
The primary goal of this technical upgrade project is to address technological shortcomings in heat treatment and heavy plate finishing, thereby building on Phase I to enable higher-value-added production.
Phase I of the 3,800 mm wide and heavy plate production line was put into operation on November 26, 2024, with an annual production capacity of 2.6 million mt of high-end wide and heavy steel plates, with thicknesses ranging from 6 mm to 200 mm, bringing an end to Guangxi's historical lack of wide and heavy plate production capacity and diversifying Liuzhou Steel Group's sheet product offerings. The line has since become one of the group's flagship production assets.
