Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant (BMP), a subsidiary of Mechel, one of the leading Russian mining and steel groups, has commissioned its new production line for cold-deformed reinforcing wire, supplied by Italian company GCR. The total investment in the project has exceeded Ruble 55 million (approx. $1.8 million).
Accordingly, with its new production line with an annual capacity of 36,000 mt, BMP will be able to produce reinforcing wire of 4 mm to 10 mm diameter. Due to low carbon content and mechanical strengthening, the cold -deformed reinforcement wire has several advantages compared to hot rolled reinforcement wire of the same size, such as improved welding characteristics, increased toughness and durability, lack of scale. Additionally cold -deformed reinforcement wire has higher design resistance to expansion and compression allowing a reduction of its expenditure by 10 to 15 percent.
"Commissioning of the new equipment for production of cold-deformed reinforcement wire at Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant is one of Mechel's projects providing the increase of the share of high-margin products manufactured by the steel division enterprises of the group. The new production of BMP - cold-deformed reinforcement wire - will be a source for processing by a Mechel Service production unit in the Moscow region into quality wire rod highly demanded in construction. We see increase in demand for this new class of steel product and as early as this month we received an important order for reinforcing wire of BMP production," Mechel senior vice president Vladimir Polin commented.
Since the beginning of the year, BMP has produced more than 300,000 mt of rolled steel products and 170,000 mt of hardware products.