The new service center will have cut-to-length, slitting, polishing and brushing lines and will serve, among others, the metal goods, equipment fabrication, and processing industries, in addition to welded pipe and tube manufacturers.
The new center, which will have an annual capacity to stock and process about 50,000 metric tons of stainless steel coils, is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2009. Total investment in the center will be €30 million.
In addition, Outokumpu is currently looking into the possibility of building a new cold rolled steel mill in India in order to strengthen its position in the country. The company has stated that an initial study has already been completed and that now a more detailed feasibility study - to determine the new mill's location and the required amount of investment - has been started. The company expects to finish the study in the first quarter of 2008.
The planned mill will have an annual capacity of about 250,000 metric tons of cold rolled, hot rolled feedstock for which would be supplied from Outokumpu's stainless steel mill in Tornio.