Russian steelmaker NLMK has signed a €10.4 million contract with LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Germany, for 23 bell-type annealing furnaces with an aggregate annual capacity of 480,000 mt to anneal low-carbon coils at the producer's main site in Lipetsk. This project is part of NLMK's plan to increase finished product output as part of Stage II of its technical upgrade program.
The new furnaces will replace 30 obsolete inefficient furnaces. The high speed of heating and cooling in a hydrogen atmosphere will result in significantly better performance and improved quality of annealing.
Under the contract, the German company is to supply the equipment in 2012. Two installation stages are planned, in 2012 and in 2013, in the cold rolled and coated flats shop.