ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, the European steel division of Germany's biggest steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, has announced that it has comprehensively modernized the facilities at its Bochum site in Germany with numerous measures to increase equipment efficiency and further improve the quality of its steel products. Some of the investment went into optimizing the rolling process. The cooling section has been upgraded to a laminar-flow system. The aim is to expand production capacities for high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels. In the cold rolling mill, the continuous pickling line has been upgraded to improve product surface quality.
The latest investments are part of an extensive modernization program begun in 2007. Since then, among other things a new walking-beam furnace and new edger have been installed and the roll cooling system in the finishing mill as well as the zinc kettle and laser welding machine in the hot-dip galvanizing line have been replaced. In total, more than €140 million has been invested to strengthen ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe's Bochum mill which has approximately 2,100 employees.