German plantmaker SMS Demag has announced that its subsidiary SMS Meer has received an order from Shandong-based steel pipe manufacturer Yantai Baosteel Pipe Co. Ltd, part of the largest Chinese steel group Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd, for the supply of an 18" seamless tube PQF® (Premium Quality Finishing) plant.
The new plant with a scheduled production capacity of 520,000 mt of seamless tubes per year will operate with the PQF® method and will allow Yantai Baosteel Pipe to produce seamless tubes of 244.5 to 457.0 mm in diameter and of up to 55.0 mm in wall thickness, in particular for the high-grade tube segment.
The commissioning of production at the new plant is planned for the beginning of 2010. The starting material will be delivered by sea from Baosteel's own steelworks to the port of Yantai directly next to the plant.
SMS Meer is to supply to Yantai Baosteel Pipe all the key components of the mill equipment for the PQF® plant, including the media systems and the automation. The order also includes the project management, supervision, commissioning and the training of the operating personnel.
Through the production of high-alloy and stainless steels in conjunc¬tion with the large diameter capability, the modern PQF® plant is set to become the best performing seamless tube plant in the world.