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Marseille’s new museum
NEWS
New developments in the Steel industry
New Ruukki Ramor protection steel
Ruukki is expanding its range of Ramor protection steels with a new Ramor 550 grade designed for ballistic protection. New Ramor 550 is six times harder and stronger than mild steel. Designed for applications requiring protection against explosions or ballistic threats, Ramor protection steels combine excellent ballistic properties with hardness and high strength.
“Tested and certified Ramor 550 steel is ideal for armoured vehicles, military vehicles and equipment, safe rooms and other applications where structural weight saving is required without compromising on protection properties,” explains Jani Kastell, sales manager, Ramor at Ruukki. Visit: www.ruukki.com
Sheffield Forgemasters’ specialist offshore design and engineering division, Vulcan SFM, has announced a triple record-breaking contract win.
The contract, on behalf of Hyundai and Technip, is the largest won by Vulcan SFM. It will see delivery of the largest cast steel nodes ever made, for the world’s largest floating Spar gas production platform – the first of its type to operate in the Norwegian Sea.
Vulcan SFM will deliver 12 ultra-large castings for the Spar, operated by Statoil ASA on behalf of the partners OMV, ConocoPhillips and Statoil, which will see service in the deep water Aasta Hansteen field off the coast of Norway.
Paul Mockford, design director at Vulcan SFM, said: “The project to develop the Aasta Hansteen gas field requires the world’s largest Spar platform. The Aasta Hansteen Spar is the largest diameter Spar which has ever been built with a diameter of 50 metres and a total hull length of 198 metres, most of which is below the surface of the sea. With water depths of more than 4200 feet this is a deep water application and floating platforms are the only real option at these depths.” Visit: www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/vulcan
Record breaking contract win for Vulcan
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe to optimise management structure
The Supervisory Board of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG has decided to realign the company’s management structure. The reorganisation is in connection with the optimisation program ‘Best-in-Class Reloaded’, under which Steel Europe is making a significant contribution to the profitability and strategic development of the group as a whole.
Dr Heinrich Hiesinger, supervisory board chairman of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG: “We are rigorously implementing our optimisation program to enable us to be successful in a continuing difficult competitive climate. We want to be best-in-class again. With the new management structure we have now taken the necessary steps for this.” Visit: www.thyssenkrupp.com
Outokumpu provides stainless steel façade for China’s highest skyscraper
Outokumpu has won a bid to provide stainless steel for the façade on Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, China. The skyscraper’s façade will be the largest stainless steel façade in the world. This contract demonstrates Outokumpu’s vast experience and advanced expertise in stainless steel. The building is expected to be finished in April 2016, with a height of 660 metres, and it is set to be the highest skyscraper in China and the second highest in the world.
“In our substantive research on the bidders, Outokumpu stood out with its rich global experience and highly efficient and customised products. Outokumpu’s vision of ‘a world that lasts forever’ and the mission of ‘creating long lasting and recyclable advanced materials’ perfectly match our vision of providing a sustainable landmark to the pioneering spirit of Shenzhen,” said the spokesperson for Ping An Finance Center. Visit: www.outokumpu.com
INDUSTRYNEWS
Voestalpine is improving its market position in the special steel segment with the opening of a state-of-the-art duo reversing rolling stand for the production of premium steel plates in Mürzzuschlag. This is the largest single investment thus far for the Special Steel Division at the Styrian plant of Böhler Bleche GmbH & Co KG, a voestalpine Group company. The company has invested a total of €11.6 million in this expansion, which will raise the annual production volume of premium materials to 26,000 tons in the future.
“With the commissioning of the state-of-theart duo rolling mill in Mürzzuschlag, we are continuing to extend our value chain in the special steel field to include and engage our customers. The special features of the new rolling stand provide an enormous advance in quality and a significant increase in the capacity provided in Styria,” states Franz Rotter, head of the Special Steel Division. Visit: www.voestalpine.com
New manager for Sweden within BE Group
BE Group has appointed Kalle Björklund as the new head of Business Area Sweden and president of BE Group Sverige AB. Kalle Björklund is currently marketing manager for the Business Area, which has, to date, been headed by CEO Kimmo Väkiparta.
Kalle Björklund is 42 years of age and a graduate engineer in mechanical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He has been employed by BE Group since 2008 in a number of different positions on the purchasing and marketing side.
“Kalle has the background and experience necessary to lead BE Group Sweden forward,” says Kimmo Väkiparta, president and CEO of BE Group AB. “Together with the rest of the management team, he will continue developing the group’s offering and strengthening positions in the key Swedish market further.” Visit: www.begroup.com
Salzgitter concludes ‘Pact for the Future’
The ‘Salzgitter AG 2015’ reorganisation project, launched in October 2012, is aimed at stabilising the Salzgitter Group’s competitiveness. Its goal is to adjust the structures and workflows of the group as a whole to the challenging conditions in the sales markets. Part of the program also entails the intention of reducing the 25,000 jobs in the group by more than 1500.
With a view to implementing personnelrelated measures, the executive board and employee representatives of Salzgitter AG, accompanied by IG Metall, conducted negotiations on a ‘Pact for the Future’ that have now been concluded. A viable business concept, taking account of the specific market conditions that pose a threat to the company’s survival, was agreed for the Peine Trager sectional steel producing company. Peine’s production capacity was scaled back to one million tons a year, and more than 800 jobs will be safeguarded. Visit: www.salzgitter-ag.com
