Pioneering process flexibility

Myriad France is part of the global Tata Steel group and is the biggest steel coating manufacturer in Europe. Philip Yorke talked to Jean-Christoph Coffier, Myriad’s marketing director, about the company’s uniquely flexible production technology and its plans for future growth.

Myriad Steel is part of the Tata Steel Group (formerly Corus), which is Europe’s largest steelmaker with operations in the UK and throughout mainland Europe. Tata Steel Europe has a crude steel production of 20 million tonnes per annum and supplies long and strip products to the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace, engineering and energy industries worldwide. Myriad plays an important role as an integral part of the Tata Steel group’s activities in Europe, with a turnover of more than €300 million and the production of over 400,000 tonnes per year of organic, coated steel. This is produced for an infinite variety of industrial applications and the company employs more than 600 people at its manufacturing sites and offices in France.

Leading by example

Tata Steel Europe makes carbon steels, which gives it a competitive position in the construction and automotive sectors. It also makes engineering steels and is developing new, advanced high strength steels for industry. The company is organised under three distinct operating divisions. These are the long products division which supplies plate, wire rod and semi-finished steels, and the strip products division (Myriad) which supplies hot-rolled steel strips, cold-rolled and metallic coated steel, as well as light-gauge coated steel and pre-finished steel products. The third division is the distribution and building systems division, which oversees service centres and supplies steel and aluminium products along with a range of specialist consultancy services.

Myriad delivers a unique, customised valueadded range of tailor-made solutions and it leads by example when it comes to flexibility and customer service. Coffier said, “In Louvain we have two pre-finishing lines capable of more than 100,000 tonnes per year each, where we can produce customer specific

products and apply zinc coatings and paint on the same line. With the construction market still affected by the economic crisis in Europe we have developed a focus on serving more general industrial companies. We are a very service-orientated company with more than 650 customers and we offer over 6000 different colour coated options and combinations. We can manufacture almost any colour and match them perfectly to our customers’ own specifications.

“We can also offer better lead times than others because of our flexible systems and advanced manufacturing processes. We are also able to supply small quantities of products for individual companies, which is a new offering on the market. Our combination of two continuous production facilities enables us to run small order quantities with ease and make frequent colour changes. However, I believe the big difference is that we offer truly tailor-made services which are backed up with full technical support and advice. We work in close partnership with our customers to produce the best outcomes at the best possible price and in the shortest possible time. I am responsible for the technical teams and customer support programmes and this individual service is very much appreciated by our customers, especially those who are involved in manufacturing for niche markets.”

For each of its customers, Myriad provides support and advice through an account manager who specialises in the customer’s individual field of expertise. In addition, the company provides a commercial assistant to help deal with day-to-day concerns and an advisory engineer, who can be called upon for recommendations regarding the most appropriate solutions.

World class solutions

Myriad provides a wide range of products and its classic brands include ‘Myriacolor’, which is a galvanised steel product with a 15 micron coat of Polyester paint; ‘Myrialac’ which is also a galvanised steel coated with a 25 micron painting system that consists of a primer and a tough polyester finish; and ‘Myriaplast’, a galvanised steel coated product with a 100−200 micron painting system, which consists of a primer and a smooth PVC ‘plastisol’ finish. The company also offers a range of ‘specials’ as well as films and ‘ready-to-go’ products.

Every item manufactured is produced with an eye to the increasing demands for industrial flexibility. To enhance the process, Myriad’s in-house finishing department offers world class solutions and is able to supply slit coils, sheets and blanks to a customer’s individual measurements and then adapt them to suit a particular fabrication process. This in turn helps to shorten a customer’s commercial response time to market.

Myriad also offers world class standards in its manufacturing processes. The company manufactures hot-rolled, cold-rolled and metallic coated steels for a diverse range of industries. These include automotive and transport industries, building and construction, consumer appliances and electronics as well as those for general engineering companies. Myriad’s strip products are also used in packaging, household appliances and yellow goods.

Myriad also supplies speciality businesses with colours for pre-finished steels, steel building systems and aluminium building systems. Furthermore, the company produces lightgauge steel for packaging and non-packaging applications as well as plated precision strip products with specialist finishes. n