Tata Steel Europe to increase high-strength steel plate capacity in Scotland

Tata Steel Europe (formerly Corus) has announced that it will invest £8 million ($13.35 million) at its Clydebridge plant in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, to increase its capacity to produce high-strength steel plate.
 
At the Clydebridge plant, two processes - quenching and tempering - are carried out which strengthen steel plate. The investment - which includes expanding the plant's two furnaces, and installing two new gas-cutting machines and a new stamping and marking machine - will boost the output from the specialist plant by up to 50 percent.
 
"Steel demand is not back to what it was before the recession - different sectors have recovered at different rates. But we will continue to invest to enhance our capability in manufacturing specialist and highly technical steel products," said director of Tata Steel's long products hub, Jon Bolton.
 
Quenched and tempered steel plate is typically used in the mining and energy exploration sectors, in products such as underground mining structures, on offshore oil and gas platforms and in ‘yellow goods' - cranes, excavators and dumper trucks. The majority of Clydebridge's products are exported.
 
The steel processed at Clydebridge is manufactured in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, before being rolled at one of Tata Steel's two UK plate mills - Scunthorpe or Dalzell.  The expanded capacity at Clydebridge will be coming on line in summer 2012. The plant's capacity will increase to 3,200 mt per week.