On December 7, Shanxi Province-based Chinese steel producer Taiyuan Iron and Steel Corporation (Taiyuan Steel) announced that it has completed the main part of its technical innovation program for its high strength precision steel strip production.
Taiyuan Steel's No. 1 rolling mill has recently passed trial tests and will soon start to supply 0.1 mm stainless steel strips to the market, while its No.2 rolling mill is expected to be put into production by the end of this year. In addition, the producer's polishing line is now undergoing tests. The slitting line has already been commissioned. The cleaning mill and grinding machine are also expected to commence operations at the end of this year.
Once operating at full production capacity, the overall production process in question will produce 20,000 mt of high strength precision stainless steel strips in thicknesses of 0.02-0.50 mm and widths of 3-650 mm, mainly for use in special sectors such as electronic, automotive, medical, petroleum, textile and aerospace. Meanwhile, annual revenues from product sales are expected to exceed RMB 600 million ($90 million).
Taiyuan Steel's technical innovation program for the production of high strength precision stainless steel strips was launched in August 2008 with a total investment cost of RMB 1 billion ($150 million). The first stage of the program is expected to be completed by March 2011.