News & Press Releases

London, November 17, 2020

In September 2020, the Steel Division of voestalpine, an international steel and technology corporation, awarded Primetals Technologies an order to modernize the basic automation systems of the continuous annealing line 1 (KGL1) in the Linz plant in Austria. The replacement of the now obsolete systems will improve the operational safety and availability of the annealing plant as well as increase personal safety. All the sequence controllers will be modernized, and the KGL1 safety concept will be implemented. The project processing is especially challenging because work can only be executed during the ten- to twelve-day plant shutdowns which only take place about every six months.

London, November 10, 2020

Primetals Technologies has received the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for two semi-automatic horizontal temperature and sample-taking manipulator systems installed at the two BOF converters at the steel plant of Dillinger Hütte (AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke) in Germany. The aims of this modernization project were to improve operational safety by automating the processes and thus reducing physical presence of operators in potentially hazardous environment as well as to improve availability – up to 98% in three-shift operation and reproducibility of temperature measurements and sample taking. Previously, temperature measurement and sample taking at the two 190-ton-converters were conducted manually.

London, November 03, 2020

In August 2020, Primetals Technologies received an order from HBIS Group Handan Iron and Steel to upgrade an existing BOF converter in the steel plant in Handan, China, to a KOBM (“Kombinierter Oxygen Blown Bottom Maxhütte”) converter including the complete automation system. Compared to a BOF converter, the combined blowing from top and bottom in a KOBM converter results in a better bath mixing, and metallurgical reactions are closer to the equilibrium.

London, October 29, 2020

In August, Primetals Technologies finished a revamping project of the long rolling mill at Stahlwerk Annahütte Max Aicher GmbH & Co. KG (Stahlwerk Annahütte) in Ainring-Hammerau, Bavaria, Germany. The project encompassed the modernization of the intermediate rolling train by replacing two existing Red Ring Series 1 stands with the latest design, Red Ring Series 5 stands. These stands allow for shorter change times and offer a prolonged lifetime of wear components. Mill operation and maintenance activities are benefited.

London, October 01, 2020

voestalpine is an international technology corporation producing industrial goods. A four-strand continuous bloom caster supplied by Primetals Technologies went into operation at its Leoben steel production plant in July. The new caster is the most modern of its type in the world and has been designed for digitalization. Fully automatic casting was possible right from the very start. The CC4 plant replaces the previous CC2 caster. In four-strand operation, it is designed to produce 950,000 metric tons per annum of the highest quality blooms.