Steel Times International April 2022 by Quartz Business Media

AISTech 2022

INNOVATIONS

STEEL SAFETY DAY

PERSPECTIVES Q&A

A preview of what some exhibitors will be oﬀering visitors.

The latest global contracts and new products news for the steel industry.

Falling from height is the theme of this year’s Steel Safety Day.

This month, Lars Holm, managing director of BUMAX.

Since 1866

www.steeltimesint.com April 2022 - Vol.46 No3

AISTech booth #941 STEEL TIMES INTERNATIONAL – April 2022 – Vol.46 No3

Clean and Reliable Ironmaking Solutions for Steelmakers Around the World

US FERROUS SCRAP MARKET – ‘ABSOLUTELY WILD’ STI Cover.indd 1

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WE BRING THE DIGITAL TWIN TO LIFE WITH OUR PLUG & WORK INTEGRATION TEST Fast run-up and stable operation are key for the successful commissioning of your plant. We can use the digital twin of your plant to run our 3D simulations and test the entire automation hardware and software prior to installation on site. Digital twins perfectly fit into our lifecycle services approach because we use it to also train your future operators upfront and can offer extended remote support for commissioning or performance improvements.

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CONTENTS – APRIL 2022

2 Leader By Matthew Moggridge. Front cover: Midrex

EDITORIAL Editor Matthew Moggridge Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855151 matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com Editorial assistant Catherine Hill Tel:+44 (0) 1737855021 Consultant Editor Dr. Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Production Editor Annie Baker Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence SALES International Sales Manager Paul Rossage paulrossage@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855116 Sales Director Ken Clark kenclark@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855117

4 News round-up The latest global steel news.

49 Process control Hatch’s holistic optimization technology.

10 USA update Tariffs end, war begins.

53 Electric steelmaking Reducing energy waste in EAFs.

13 Latin America update 100 years in Brazil (part three).

58 Decarbonization Transforming integrated mills to zero carbon using smelter technology.

17 India update Production cuts planned. 21 Innovations New products and contracts. 33 Ferrous scrap ‘Absolutely wild right now’.

Managing Director Tony Crinion tonycrinion@quartzltd.com Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855164 Chief Executive Officer Steve Diprose SUBSCRIPTION Jack Homewood Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email subscriptions@quartzltd.com

40 AISTech 2022 Back in the US of A!

63 Plant safety The dangers of working at height. 66 Perspectives Q&A: Bumax We speak to Lars Holm, managing director. 68 History The Pioneering Life of Peter Kirk A Book Review - Part 2 US trials.

Steel Times International is published eight times a year and is available on subscription. Annual subscription: UK £215.00 Other countries: £284.00 2 years subscription: UK £387.00 Other countries: £510.00 3 years subscription: UK £431.00 Other countries: £595.00 Single copy (inc postage): £47.00 Email: steel@quartzltd.com

Published by: Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, England. Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034 www.steeltimesint.com Steel Times International (USPS No: 020-958) is published monthly except Feb, May, July, Dec by Quartz Business Media Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER send address changes to Steel Times International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Printed in England by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent NP12 2YA, UK ©Quartz Business Media Ltd 2022

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April 2022

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LEADER

H2 Green Steel’s Mark Bula to speak at the Forum

Matthew Moggridge Editor matthewmoggridge@quartzltd.com

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The Future Steel Forum is back, live, on 8-9 June in Prague, Czech Republic. It’s been almost five years since the inaugural event and it would be fair to say that the industry has taken to it like a duck to water. The Forum is unique as it’s a steel conference that is focused 100% on digital manufacturing. What is different about this year’s event is that a lot of speakers are linking digitalisation with decarbonisation, which gives the programme a strong sustainability theme, at a time when digitalisation and decarbonisation are the two biggest subjects in the world of steelmaking – and, indeed, the wider industrial world. Leading the charge, so to speak, is Mark Bula, chief commercial officer of H2 Green Steel, who joined the organisation in January 2021 and has since relocated with his family from the USA to Sweden. Mark and his team are spearheading the decarbonization of the steelmaking process using disruptive technology and digital leadership, phrases the Future Steel Forum thrives upon. H2 Green Steel is on a mission to undertake the global steel industry’s greatest technological shift and says it

is committed to accelerating change by eliminating almost all CO2 emissions from the steelmaking process. When it comes to high tech steelmaking and sustainability, Bula has form. I first met him in Osceola, Arkansas, in late 2017 when he was a co-founder of the cutting edge Big River Steel facility, the world’s first Flex Mill®, a ‘learning’ mill if you will, that relies upon high tech, Industry 4.0-based technologies and is widely regarded as the world’s fastest profitable steel start-up. Mark welds together the world of high-tech steelmaking and that of decarbonization and will certainly kickstart the first live Forum since June 2019. The decarbonisation message at this year’s Future Steel Forum is huge and ultra-clear: digitalisation DOES aid decarbonization of the steelmaking process and is something that AI companies the world over are working on right now. In fact, How Digitalisation can Aid Decarbonization is the theme of the conference programme’s two discussion panels. If digitalisation and decarbonization matter to you, register now for the Forum by visiting https://futuresteelforum.com

11/27/21 5:59 PM www.steeltimesint.com

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DANIELI INTELLIGENT PLANT A NEW CONCEPT FOR PLANT AND PROCESS SUPERVISION Data-driven approach, AI and machine learning for continuous improvement of plant performances, simplifying metals complexity Via Bonaldo Stringher, 4 33042 Buttrio (UD) Italy Phone +39 0432 518 111 www.digi-met.com www.dca.it

NEWS ROUND-UP

Steelworkers protested outside the UK palace of Westminster over a 613% surge in energy costs they warn threatens the industry. Staff from plants in South Wales, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire ﬂocked to the parliamentary building to highlight how sky-high power prices have hampered production – fuelling fears for the sector’s survival. Sector chiefs have grown increasingly worried about the impact of energy costs on the UK’s £2.1 billion industry, which directly employs 33,700 workers and supports another 42,000 posts in supply chains. Source: The Mirror, 15 March 2022 Ukraine's largest steel company Metinvest said shells hit the territory of its Avdiivka coke plant on 13 March, damaging some of its facilities. The company stated that no-one was hurt in the shelling, but the site's thermal power plant, which supplies heat to the neighbouring town of Avdiivka, had stopped working. Source: Reuters, 13 March 2022

In conjunction with Tata Steel Mining’s CSR team, Tata Steel foundation hosted a food festival which provided an opportunity for food lovers to satiate their taste buds as 30 home cooks prepared indigenous food and local delicacies from Odisha, in Eastern India. A number of recipes were prepared during the festival including rare items like Black carpenter ant chutney, bamboo shoot pickle and country chicken khichdi. The food festival was an attempt to promote and preserve traditional cooking practices and recipes. Source: The Avenue Mail, 14 March 2022 April 2022

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Australian researchers claim to have made a ‘giant leap’ in lifting the efficiency of electrolysers, bringing forward the time when green hydrogen will be competitive with fossil fuels as an energy source. Hysata, a company using technology developed at the University of Wollongong, said its patented capillaryfed electrolysis cells achieve 95% efficiency, meaning little wastage, beating by about one-quarter the levels of current technology. Source: The Guardian, 16 March 2022

The UAE’s Steel Producers Committee held an urgent meeting to discuss the current developments within the local rebar market. During the meeting, the panel members attributed the current ﬂuctuations in rebar prices to the scarcity of steel billets, evident by the increase in prices by 27%, stemming from the ongoing repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis (as these two countries are among the largest suppliers of the product globally.) Source: Zawya, 16 March 2022

Russian steel and mining company Severstal has received permission from Moscow to make a $12.6 million interest payment due Wednesday on its dollar bonds, but the firm warned that paying the transfer agent Citigroup Inc. there was a fair chance that the transaction wouldn't be processed. Severstal’s interest payment is due to holders of $800 million in so-called loan participation notes that mature in 2024. The debt, which pays an annual rate of 3.15%, was issued by Luxembourg-based unit Steel Capital. Source: Mining.com, 16 March 2022

ArcelorMittal has increased its official hot-rolled coil (HRC) offer by €100/t to €1,400/t across the continent, as energy and scrap costs continue to increase. The EU announcement of a ban on Russian steel imports on 15 March will see supply constraints continue, although slab was spared, which has taken some of the heat out of the coil market. Source: Argus Media, 16 March 2022

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08/04/2022 10:10:43

NEWS ROUND-UP

Moving to net zero emissions creates an opportunity to expand UK industrial supply chains and set requirements for recycled content in goods, says environmental forum the Aldersgate Group. In its report: ‘The Missing Link. Establishing Strong UK Supply Chains for Low Carbon Industrial Products’, the company stated that the UK government should devise a comprehensive plan to establish stronger low-carbon industrial supply chains. Source: MRW, 17 March 2022

Korean steelmakers expressed disappointment as Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo's latest meeting with his US counterpart in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) failed again to lead Washington to lower its trade barrier, according to industry officials. "We are unsatisfied by the result, but we had predicted the scenario," a steelmaking industry insider said. "It seems that both the public and private sectors should continue to make efforts to convince the US to treat Korea fairly along with the European Union and Japan." The Korea Times, 17 March 2022

Italy has seized a building complex on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia worth around 105 million euros ($116.2 million) owned by Russian steel magnate Alexey Mordashov, Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office said on 18 March. The operation was part of a Western drive to penalize wealthy Russians linked to President Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine. Source: The Province, 18 March 2022

Thyssenkrupp's steel workers will be put on shortened working hours next month, a labour boss said on 18 March. "Shorttime work will come in April," said Tekin Nasikkol, who heads the works council of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe and also sits on Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board, adding automotive customers, its single biggest market, were ordering less. Source: The Economic Times, 18 March 2022 Tata Steel has extended its partnership with PGTI (Professional Golf Tour of India) for three more years. The deal was inked at the Tollygunje Club on the final day of the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2022. In a statement, the steel giant also said that it would double the prize money of the season-ending Tata Steel Tour Championship to 30 million rupees. Tata Steel first came on board as an umbrella partner of PGTI in 2019 by signing a three-year contract with the controlling body for professional golfing in India. Source: DevDiscourse, 19 March 2022

Tangshan, the largest steel-producing city in North China's Hebei Province, has imposed strict traffic controls and other anti-epidemic measures after new COVID-19 cases were reported between 18-20 March, leaving many steelmakers and related businesses to halt production and evaluate impact. After reporting seven new COVID-19 cases on 19 March, Tangshan implemented temporary traffic curbs the next day, which only allow essential and emergency vehicles to move in the city until further notice. Source: Global Times, 20 March 2022

Tata Steel Foundation has dedicated a centre in Jamshedpur to people with disabilities, which aims to work towards making Jamshedpur a more ‘empathetic, accessible and equitable city for the disabled’, combining outreach with the physical centre. The centre will offer various courses including a 'training for trainers’ programme, disability awareness workshops, digital literacy programme, career awareness workshops, and foundation courses. Source: The Avenue Mail, 21 March 2022 April 2022

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NEWS ROUND-UP

The Volkswagen Group and Salzgitter AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which Volkswagen will become one of the first customers for the low-CO2 steel that Salzgitter AG plans to produce on a new production route at its headquarters in Lower Saxony from the end of 2025. According to Salzgitter AG, this will enable over 95% of CO2 emissions in steel production to be saved in future on the basis of hydrogen and renewable energies. Source: Automotive World, 22 March 2022

ArcelorMittal has announced that it has established a strategic partnership with Greenko Group, India’s leading energy transition company, to develop a ‘round the clock’ renewable energy project with 975 MW of nominal capacity. The $0.6 billion project will combine solar and wind power and will be supported by Greenko’s hydro pumped storage project. Source: Yahoo!Sport, 22 March 2022

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Oman’s Samail Industrial City has signed a deal with Gulf Petrochemical Services and Trading to set up a steel plant covering 181,000 sq m at an investment of OMR3 million ($7.79 million) for the first phase of the project. Samail Industrial City is divided into several sectors to attract a variety of industries. These include the food industry, plastic and petrochemical industry, steel industry, marble industry, building materials industry, and supporting services sector (eg warehouses). Source: Trade Arabia, 22 March 2022

Voelstapine, a leading steel and technology group, has announced that next year, its supervisory board will take the final decision to invest in two electric arc furnaces (EAF), construction of which will begin in 2024. By early 2027, one EAF at each Linz and Donawitz site should commence operations. The total investment costs will run to around €1 billion. Source: Market Screener, 22 March 2022

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual meeting as Australia committed Aus$35.7 million toward a Green Steel Partnership to support co-operation in the commercialisation of clean technologies, minerals and energy. India and Australia held their first virtual summit in June 2020, when they upgraded ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, the two sides have stepped-up their collaboration on critical and emerging technologies. Source: MSN, 22 March 2022

Tata Steel’s UK arm has joined hands with the Bessemer Society as the sole metals industry sponsor of its technology and innovation forum. Britain’s largest steelmaker said the collaboration is a ‘win-win’ for the company as the new technologies which the ‘society brings to the fore’ could help it become a carbon-neutral manufacturer. The society, which counts Rolls-Royce as its national sponsor, acts as a platform to bring together entrepreneurs, academics, UK government funding bodies and investors, to encourage ‘hard-tech’ innovation. Source: Eastern Eye, 23 March 2022

An exterior fire at Gerdau Steel in Whitby, UK, was extinguished with no injuries to staff or fire fighters. Crews were called around 10 pm on 17 March to the steel manufacturing company near South Blair Street and Water Street after a pile of scrap and shredded metal caught fire. Officials say the fire was close to a large machine, so initially there were concerns about it spreading, but crews managed to get it under control. Source: Durham Radio News, 23 March 2022

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NEWS ROUND-UP

To achieve fossil-free steel across its range by 2030, SSAB has invested in a new strip production system. Luleå and Raahe will be transformed into minimills with electric arc furnaces and rolling mills. Borlänge and Hämeenlinna will be further developed in line with the new production processes. Source: Railway Technology, 24 March 2022

Proposals for a funicular railway to link a UK town's main street and nearby shopping centre have been dropped. The 27m track would have connected Stocksbridge's Manchester Road with the Fox Valley centre. However, problems securing sections of land meant the plan, part of the £24m Stocksbridge Town Deal, will not go ahead. The body, which oversees projects for potential funding, halted plans for the lift between a site at Liberty Steel and the town's High Street due to the time it would have taken to resolve problems with land issues. Source: BBC, 24 March 2022 www.steeltimesint.com

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Tata Steel IJmuiden in the Netherlands has increased its carbon emission surcharges to €27 ($30) per tonne, it has said. The surcharges will apply to all new contracts and deals made after 1 July 2022. In the last two years, the company has made efforts to slash its emissions, using strategies such as carbon capture to achieve its current goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Source: Metal Bulletin, 24 March 2022 Liberty Steel has sued the US city of Georgetown for its recent efforts to force the downtown mill to close over a zoning dispute. Liberty also asked the court to halt the city's zoning appeals process that could determine the fate of the mill that was once one of Georgetown's largest employers. The commercial zoning would prevent the mill from reopening and would open the site for hotels, stores and restaurants meant to draw visitors to the state's third-oldest city. Source: Georgetown Times, 25 March 2022

Some 50,000 pensioner members of British Steel's Pension Scheme II will receive a one-time extra payment, worth collectively £58m, due to the pension fund’s positive results. According to a newsletter sent to members, the scheme’s latest actuarial valuation ‘has shown that the conditions for making this one-time payment were met, and £58m is to be shared out’. Source: Pensions Expert, 25 March 2022

A ‘steel slag’ road built has been built in Gujarat city, India. It is India's first-ever 'steel slag road', which has been constructed by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India with CSIR India (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), and government think tank Niti Aayog. Source: Mint, 26 March 2022

A Shropshire steel fabricator has established a new look leadership team following a year of growth. Richard Hilton, who founded Fabweld Steel Products in 1988, has moved into the role of chairman, with operations director Wayne Carter becoming managing director. Carter, who has worked for Fabweld for 31 years, began his career with FSP on a youth training scheme apprenticeship. Source: Insider, 25 March 2022

Green Trek, a start-up by the Indian Institute of Technology, is using green technology which consumes less energy, no electricity, and is completely pollutionfree in order to convert waste from steel mills into useable products. According to officials, the team uses clean combustion techniques to trim the waste into a metal with high iron content which can then be reused by industries like ship building, stone crushing plants, oil and gas plants and power plants. Source: The Week, 27 March 2022 April 2022

08/04/2022 10:12:01

NEWS ROUND-UP

India’s steel minister has announced that the country is leaning toward continuing to import coking coal from Russia, seeming to buck a global trend to shun Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. India plans to double imports of Russian coking coal, a key ingredient in making steel, the minister said. He said the country had imported 4.5 Mt but did not indicate the period he was referring to. Source: Reuters, 27 March 2022

Hundreds of workers took part in protests across Visakhapatnam, in SouthEastern India, as part of the two-day nation-wide strike called by trade unions opposing the government's move to privatise public sector undertakings, with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) being the centre of the protests. Workers staged a demonstration outside the main gate of the VSP, raising slogans against the government's bid to go ahead with the strategic disinvestment of the steel plant. Source: The Economic Times, 28 March 2022 April 2022

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Scrap metal group Sims’ chief executive says the scrap metal group is primed for even stronger growth as the world decarbonises, with demand for recycled ferrous products, copper and aluminium rising, and a new business refurbishing computing hardware booming. The company’s shares have jumped 50% in the past two months, from $14.15 to above $21. Source: Financial Review, 29 March 2022

Petronas has collaborated with Honeywell in the development of carbonneutral energy solutions in process technologies, industrial automation, and plant digitalization of the Malaysian national oil company’s operations. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies was signed on 22 March on the sidelines of the Offshore Technology Conference Asia 2022. Source: ARC, 29 March 2022

Tata Steel is all set to acquire the ferro alloys-producing assets of Odisha-based Stork Ferro and Mineral Industries for 155 crore in an all-cash deal, with an asset transfer agreement having already been signed between the two companies. Tata said in its regulatory filing that it had ‘executed an asset transfer agreement with Stork Ferro and Mineral Industries Private Limited (SFML) for acquisition of itemized assets to produce ferro alloys.’ Source: Mint, 30 March 2022

The Tata Steel board has approved the appointment of Noel Naval Tata as an additional director. In a stock exchange filing, the company said based on the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the board of directors considered and unanimously approved the appointment of Noel Naval Tata as a non-executive, non-independent director. Source: Business Standard, 29 March 2022

ArcelorMittal announced that it has idled three steel mills in Spain and partly closed two others after a two-week truckers' strike disrupted supplies of scrap metal, iron ore and equipment. The company was forced to suspend output at its Bergara mill, in the Basque Country, on 16 March and at its Legasa and Lesaka mills, in Navarra, on 26 March as a result of the strike, a spokesperson said. Source: Reuters, 29 March 2022

GFG Alliance has appointed a leading global steel industry executive as its group chief investment officer. Sandip Biswas will be responsible for delivering sustained commercial and investment performance, playing a key role in supporting the group’s debt restructuring and transformation plans. He joins from Tata Steel, where for 17 years he has held senior and board level positions in its joint ventures and subsidiaries. Source: Business Live, 31 March 2022 www.steeltimesint.com

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NEWS ROUND-UP

An Indiana steel executive has been named by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology as the 2022 AIST Steelmaker of the Year. Mark Millett, CEO of Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics, will be honoured with the award for his impact on the industry and his business at AISTech 2022 – which is held in Pittsburgh, US next month (May 16-19). Source: NWI Times, 31 March 2022

UK-based plantmaker Primetals Technologies has announced that it will supply two LD converters (BOFs) to Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk plant in France. Primetals will replace one of the existing LD converters which has reached the end of its lifetime, with the other new LD converter being held in stock in Dunkirk for later installation. Source: Steel Orbis, 31 March 2022

Indian IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao met and discussed various investment opportunities with Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal. In a tweet on Twitter, Rao said: ‘‘Met with the enterprising & suave CEO of ArcelorMittal, Aditya Mittal who also happens to be Hyderabad's son-in-law & is on a visit to the city. Discussed various opportunities to invest in Telangana & also learnt quite a few things about the steel industry.” Source: The New Indian Express, 31 March 2022 www.steeltimesint.com

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The O’Hara-based Regional Industrial Development Corp. held an event at the Mill 19 development site in Pittsburgh, USA, to mark the third building’s final steel beam being put into place. Construction of the 100,000 sq ft building should be finished by July, said RIDC president Donald Smith. Two buildings have already been constructed at the site, being completed in 2018 and 2020, with tenants including the Carnegie Mellon University and Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing. Source: Trib Live, 31 March 2022

McDermott’s storage business, CB&I, has announced plans to design and build two 500,000 gallon double-wall liquid hydrogen spheres for Plug Power Inc.’s new green hydrogen production facility in Genesee County, New York. The production facility is expected to produce 45 tpd of green liquid hydrogen – making it the largest green hydrogen facility in North America. Source: Energy Global, 31 March 2022

China has recently completed a test of a new hydrogenenriched smelting technology using a blast furnace with pure hydrogen as a blowing gas source, in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions produced from steel production. Shanghai University and Changli Xingguo Precise Machine Parts Co, based in North China's Hebei Province, jointly completed the first development test of a hydrogen-enriched smelting blast furnace with pure hydrogen as a blowing gas source. Source: Global Times, 31 March 2022

Joe Calleja, a steel industry boss who helped found the restaurant empire of George Calombaris, is selling an estate with an ‘uber shed’ so big it hosts a mini museum and billiards room, valued at $10-11 million. His professional life centres on running Apex Steel, though he has operated a number of other steel businesses over an almost 50-year career in the industry. Source: Herald Sun, 1 April 2022

April 2022

08/04/2022 10:12:42

USA UPDATE

Tariffs end, war begins As the USA drops tariffs on products exported by the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, another crisis looms in the shape of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. By Manik Mehta* THE Biden administration has agreed to ease Trump-era tariffs on UK steel and aluminium shipments, hoping to have resolved a controversial trade issue between the two sides. The US rollback decision comes after a similar move by Washington for the European Union and Japan over the so-called Section 232 tariffs, which were imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 on national security grounds. In exchange, the British Government will suspend extra levies imposed on US products such as bourbon and Levi’s jeans. Under the agreement, the US will replace the 25% tariffs on steel with a quota system. The policy will allow duty-free imports of British metals into the US up to a certain level; once the level of duty-free quota is reached, the US will impose tariffs on subsequent shipments of the metal. This policy will be enforced from 1 June. The British lobby group, UK Steel, welcomed the move and said that it would be ‘felt by steel companies and their employees right across the UK and they immensely welcome the deal’. But UK officials have also been saying that they would like to see a comprehensive free trade agreement with the US lifting all restrictions on British goods. Some British analysts noted that consumers are unlikely to see benefits like lower prices, adding

that replacing tariffs with a system of quotas was indicative of moving away from transparency, besides not providing the benefits of free trade to consumers. The cost of imposing tariffs Analysts at the American Action Forum (AAF), an independent, non-profit organization, in a recent research study calculated the cost impact of the steel tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump from across the world, resulting in price increases in the US. While Trump’s successor President Joe Biden, by and large retained the tariffs, he has replaced them on steel imported from the European Union and Japan with a tariffrate quota system. According to the AAF’s calculations based on 2021 import levels, these tariffs currently impact over $350 billion of imports and exports and increase consumer costs by roughly $51 billion annually. The tariffs, when combined with corresponding retaliation, threaten over $350 billion of traded goods annually. AAF analysis focuses on the impact of Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs imposed by former President Trump and now continuing under President Biden. However, Section 301 affords the US administration the space to impose tariffs or quotas when the United States Trade Representative (USTR) finds that other nations are engaging in unfair trade

practices. President Trump used Section 301 to enact four tranches of tariffs on imports specifically from China. Section 232 allows the president to impose trade barriers if the Department of Commerce finds that imports threaten US national security. It serves as a reminder, in the age of globalization and interdependence, that a country has to pay a price when it imposes steel tariffs aimed at protecting the domestic industry and controlling excessive imports. Competition is healthy but it has to be fair. A country that offers subsidies to its industry, and enables its steelmakers, as is happening in China, to supply steel at prices that are below production costs, engages in dumping at the expense of the receiving country. Thus, tariffs imposed to control the excessive exports can also impact the economy of the importing country. According to the AAF research, the tariffs caused importers to shift away from China and reorganize supply chains. Even more, the tariffs decreased trade altogether – both imports and exports – raising prices and reducing options for both consumers and businesses in the United States. According to the AAF research, from 2018 to 2019, the value of imports subject to tariffs decreased by $94 billion, or 25%. The bulk of that can be attributed to a decrease in trade with China. Imports from China subject to tariffs fell by 25% from

* US correspondent, New York April 2022

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08/04/2022 09:40:24

USA UPDATE

$364.3 billion in 2018 to $274.1 billion in 2019. Imports of steel and aluminium goods subject to tariffs fell by 24% from $16.5 billion in 2018 to $12.5 billion in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic further reduced US imports and exports while largely preserving the above dynamics. From 2019 to 2020, the value of overall imports in the United States fell by 6.5%, from $2.5 trillion to $2.3 trillion. The value of imports subject to the tariffs decreased 11.4% from 2019 to 2020. Then in 2021, as the economy recovered from the pandemic, imports returned to near their 2019 levels. Tariff exclusions US businesses can petition for certain products to be excluded if the tariffs negatively impact their business. For an exclusion to be granted, the product must not be available in the United States or any third countries that are not subject to US tariffs. Alternatively, the business requesting the exclusion must show that the tariffs cause it severe economic harm. This analysis only considers Section 301 exclusions which are vastly more far reaching and easier to track than the Section 232 exclusions, which are smaller in nature and evaluated on a rolling basis In addition to raising costs for American consumers, tariffs have also resulted in significant retaliation by other countries against US exports. To date, five nations have levied retaliatory tariffs of up to 70% on approximately $73.2 billion worth of US exports. These tariffs do not include retaliation by Canada and Mexico; following the reversal of US steel and aluminium tariffs, both Canada and Mexico withdrew their retaliatory tariffs of 7% to 25% on approximately $20 billion of US exports. These tariffs also no longer include retaliation by the EU, as it cancelled its retaliatory tariffs in exchange for the United States replacing the aluminium and steel tariffs with a TRQ for EU imports. Rise in steel production in Great Lakes On a different note, steel production levels, which had declined in the Great Lakes region until mid-February, began to rise from the last week of February, according to data provided by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). By late February/early March, steel mills had touched, again, the 80% capacity, the www.steeltimesint.com

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average level during much of 2021 after the industry went through a process of consolidation. During the week ending 5 March, steel mills in the Great Lakes region increased their production to 608kt, up from 507kt in the earlier week. Steel production, so far this year, until the first week of March 2022 had totaled 16.32Mt, a 2.6% increase over 15.91Mt in the previous year’s corresponding period. US steel mills had operated at a capacity utilization rate of 81.1% until 5 March, up from 76.8% in the same period of 2021, according to the AISI. Demand for stainless steel was robust in the first two and a half months of the current year. Steel industry pundits assert that funds earmarked for infrastructure development should drive medium-to-long-term consumption, even as the indicators suggest that the economic rebound in the aftermath of Covid would slow down in 2022, also induced by rising inflation and costs coupled with uncertainties linked with the Russia-Ukraine war. These factors have contributed to volatility in global steel markets. A worrisome development for many US steelmakers has been a steady decline in steel prices – plate is an exception to this trend – even as there have been restraint and capacity delays by steelmakers. Consequently, major steelmakers such as Nucor and Cleveland Cliffs took the lead in announcing late February increases in steel prices for items such as HRC, CRC and HDG. Some steelmakers also faced outages and delays. Cleveland Cliffs, for instance, is shutting several of its lines from 19 March until 11 June for maintenance; the shutdown would result in a production cut of roughly 411kt. Cleveland Cliffs is also idling its Indiana Harbour blast furnace, with the shutdown stretching until the end of April and resulting in a possible shortfall of roughly 1.4Mt. US Steel is also reportedly planning to idle its Granite City mill for 25 days. These shutdowns and delays will result in an estimated collective loss of over 30kt/day in the US whose domestic steel market will

remain vulnerable amid the Russian/ Ukraine war. In view of the uncertainties coupled with shortages and delays during much of February, buyers had rushed then to take advantage of the lower prices prevalent before these developments. The Russia-Ukraine war The downward trend in steel prices, which had begun to decline from Q4 of 2021, seemed to have stopped. Global steel prices, including in the US rose because of supply concerns following the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia and Ukraine are both key producers and suppliers of steel and steel-making raw materials, including coking coal and pig iron. The ongoing conflict has also led to a spike in steel input costs due to the disruptions in the supply chains. Several producers of steel and key inputs in Ukraine have idled their operations following the Russian invasion. Russian supplies have also been affected by the war and the ensuing sanctions. Russia and Ukraine supply pig iron to the US steel industry. The supply disruption of pig iron comes at a time when US steelmakers are reeling from a steep increase in the cost of scrap, the main raw material of electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, due to high demand and short supply. EAF accounts for more than 70% of steel production in the United States, according to the AISI. Steel prices are expected to rise further in the coming weeks and months due to the strained supply situation. � April 2022

08/04/2022 09:40:31

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LATIN AMERICA UPDATE

100 years in Brazil (part three) In part three of a series of articles about ArcelorMittal Longos (and its predecessor, Belgo-Mineira/ CSBM) we look at the trajectory over the 2005-2017 period, segmented into two phases. Firstly, making good money during the boom times and announcing large expansion projects (2005-2007); and then suffering from the hangover of the global financial crisis and an unstable Brazilian common long steel market (2008-2017). By Germano Mendes de Paula* SINCE its formation, CSBM was associated with the Luxembourg-based Arbed. However, the latter was merged with Usinor and Aceralia in 2002, becoming Arcelor – at that time, the largest steel company in the world. After a corporate restructuring, Arcelor Brasil was established in 2005 and controlled CSBM, Companhia Siderúrgica Tubarão (CST) and Vega do Sul. The following year, Arcelor and Mittal merged, creating ArcelorMittal. In just four years, therefore, the parent company of CSBM changed twice. Furthermore, in 2006, ArcelorMittal acquired all the outstanding shares of CSBM via Bovespa the country’s Sao Paulo-based stock market, now known simply as B3. This transaction was completed in September 2007. Between 2005-2017, ArcelorMittal Longos made minor productive changes. The most important was the commissioning of two mini charcoal blast furnaces at the Juiz de Fora steel mill in 2007, in order to supply its melt shop. As a consequence, the company’s pig iron production enlarged

from 1.1Mt in 2005 to 1.4Mt in 2007, and has been relatively stable around the 1.4Mt/ yr plateau since then (Fig 1). It is important, however, to highlight the substantial changes that have taken place with regard to installed capacity utilisation (ICU) resulting from the impact on the steel market of Brazil’s volatile macroeconomic environment. Crude steel production rose from 3.3Mt in 2005 to 3.7Mt in 2007. The steel shop’s ICU rose from 87% in 2005 to 100% in 2007 and this had a very positive impact on profitability. Simultaneously, rolled steel output jumped from 3Mt in 2005 to 3.5Mt in 2007. The company took advantage of an international commodities boom and its positive impacts on Brazilian GDP growth, which was equivalent to 3.2% in 2005, 4.0% in 2006 and 6.1% in 2007 (Fig 2). Surfing the good times and operating at full capacity, ArcelorMittal Longos announced large investments on 3 September 2008, 12 days before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The plan was

a huge investment package distributed over three mills: • Monlevade: • New blast furnace: 1.5Mt/yr; • New melt shop: 1.2Mt/yr; • New rolling mill: 500kt/yr; • Expansion of the existing rolling mill: 350kt/yr; • Implementation period: 27 months; • Investment: $1,078M. • Juiz de Fora: • Two new mini blast furnaces: 400kt/yr; • New melt shop: 1.2Mt/yr; • New rebar rolling mill: 520kt/yr; • New rolling mill for special/alloyed steel bars: 500kt/yr; • Implementation period: 30 months; • Investment: $958M.

* Professor in Economics, Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil. E-mail: germano@ufu.br www.steeltimesint.com

LA Update.indd 1

April 2022

08/04/2022 09:39:10

LATIN AMERICA UPDATE

Fig 1. Production at ArcelorMittal Longos, 2005-2017 (kt)

• Cariacica: • New melt shop: 690kt/yr; • New section rolling mill • (medium and heavy): 650kt/yr; • Implementation period: 30 months; • Investment: $659M. In 2008, ArcelorMittal Longos brieﬂy planned to increase its installed capacity concerning: a) blast furnaces: from 1.4Mt/ yr to 3.3Mt/yr; b) steel shops: from 3.8Mt/ yr to 6.8Mt/yr; c) rolling mills: from 3.8Mt/ yr to 6.3Mt/yr. The projects can all be summarised as capacity doubling, starting with Monlevade, then Juiz de Fora and lastly the Cariacica steelworks. Monlevade would retain its wire rod specialist status. Juiz de Fora would continue with a more diversified mix and would enter into a higher added value segment (special/alloyed long rolled products). Cariacica would expand its range of sections. The hangover Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy in 2008 changed the world, in particular for big commodities exporters, such as Brazil. ArcelorMittal Longos’ main investment – announced pre-crisis – was the capacity increase at Monlevade. However, this project was originally scheduled to commence operation in 2010, but suffered several delays and ended up being reformulated and is still not fully completed. The Monlevade capacity increase was formally approved in November 2007, with commissioning planned for 2010. However, at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009, the project was suspended due to unsatisfactory market conditions. It was resumed by April April 2022

LA Update.indd 2

Fig 2. Brazil’s GDP growth, 2005-2017 (%)

2010 and scheduled for completion by the end of 2012, but faced a second stoppage in November 2011. In June 2013, it had a second restart, with reformulation; the project was divided into two stages. Phase one involved the installation of the rolling mill only, without corresponding increases in the blast furnace and steel shop. The rest of the duplication project was put on hold. By Q3 2015, the new Monlevade wire rod rolling mill was completed, but due to ugly market conditions, its start-up was delayed. In fact, it commenced operations in January 2022, which shows just how much the Brazilian common long steel segment had deteriorated during the 2010s. At Juiz de Fora, instead of doubling plant capacity and entering a new market segment (special/alloyed longs), from 2013 onwards, expansion was marginal at around 200kt/yr, but even this was suspended. At Cariacica, instead of doubling capacity and introducing a new product (heavy sections), in 2011, increasing rolling mill capacity by 160kt/yr was considered (to be balanced with the melt shop), but this remained on paper. There was no expansion project at Piracicaba, but the plant temporarily shut down half of its rolling mill in 2015; it has since resumed normal operations. Brazil has experienced a very volatile macroeconomic performance since 2008. Its GDP expanded 5.1% in 2008, followed by a 0.1% retraction in 2009, then an

atypical growth of 7.5% enlargement in 2010, based on expansionist fiscal policy. Then it had three years of reasonable growth (3.0% on average, in 20112013), but then faced poorer outcomes, in particular in 2015-2016, when it experienced 3.4% of GDP diminution each year. In this hectic environment, Brazilian common long rolled production increased firstly from 9.8Mt in 2008 to 10.5Mt in 2011, but afterwards declined to 8.2Mt in 2017. Meanwhile, newcomers entered the market (Sinobras, CSN Longos, Simec, AVB, and Silat). In other words, there are more players to eat a smaller cake. Crude steel production at ArcelorMittal Longos decreased from 3.5Mt in 2008 to 2.9Mt in 2017, whereas rolled steel output diminished from 3.4Mt to 2.9Mt, respectively. The steel shop’s ICU varied from 93% in 2008 to 85% in 2009, reverting to 94% in 2011, but then mainly registered an involution until it reached 77% in 2017. Where Brazilian common long steel products were concerned, ArcelorMittal Longos’ production share was equivalent to 38% in 2005, 32.5% in 2011 and 35.2% in 2017. Summing up, in the period 2005-2017, ArcelorMittal Longos experienced more corporate rather the productive changes. In addition, various large projects were announced, but they were delayed and downsized. While Brazilian common long production dropped, it needed to compete with newcomers. It can be argued that the company adopted a survival mode in most of these years. A complete new situation was observed from 2018 on, which will be analysed in the next and final part of the article. � www.steeltimesint.com

08/04/2022 09:39:15

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INDIA UPDATE

Indian mills plan production cuts

As the price of the raw materials needed to make steel increases, Indian steelmakers are thinking about cutting production in order to make ends meet. By Dilip Kumar Jha* UNABLE to pass on the entire raw materials’ price hike to consumers, steel mills in India are now exploring the possibility of a production cut for survival. Major primary steel producers such as JSW Steel are working on a strategy to reduce output as a sustained rise in the prices of the raw materials has left them with no option other than cutting volumes to adjust losses proportionately. JSW is fully reliant on merchant iron ore and coking coal, both key ingredients for steel making comprising roughly 60% of the production cost. Businesses like JSW are hugely impacted by spiraling raw materials prices.

BALANCING OUT India’s finished steel balance sheet (million tonnes) Financial year (April-March)

Production

Consumption

2017-18

95.01

90.71

2018-19

101.29

98.71

2019-20

102.62

100.17

2020-21

96.20

94.89

2021-22*

106-108

104-106

Source: Joint Plant Committee, * Forecast

Rising input costs According to Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director and group chief financial officer, JSW Steel, input costs have risen sharply since the global economy started to recover in January this year after almost two years of drawdown on account of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. But prices of steelmaking raw materials and finished steel products skyrocketed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, which followed economic sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russian goods and services, resulting in supply disruptions. Being one of the largest producers of steel, iron ore, and coking coal, the supply disruptions hit * India correspondent www.steeltimesint.com

India.indd 1

April 2022

13/04/2022 07:24:51

INDIA UPDATE

ON THE RISE India’s coking coal imports (million tonnes) Financial year (April – March)

Quantity

Production

2015-16

44.56

59.21

2016-17

41.64

59.31

2017-18

47.00

45.38

2018-19

51.84

43.32

2019-20

51.83

50.66

2020-21

51.20

44.00

2021-22*

43.33

Source: Ministry of Coal, Government of India, * April - December

leading steel-producing countries and India is no exception. While the benchmark iron ore 62% Fe prices CFR China have risen to trade currently at US$150/tonne from US$96.24/tonne in November 2021, thus witnessing a jump of 56%, coking coal prices have doubled to trade at around US$700/tonne today from around US$350/ tonne in November last year. Rao said, “Coking coal prices have doubled in recent months. Iron ore prices have also increased. While we have passed on a 10-12% input cost increase to consumers by raising our products’ prices, there is still wide room for a further increase to fully cover the price hike across raw materials. Unfortunately, that is not possible because of import pressure from China. Hence, we are working on a strategy to lower the production volume to reduce losses. As of now, there’s intense pressure on margins.” Other primary steel producers, like Tata Steel and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), are better placed with comparatively less pressure on margins as their steel production is closely linked with iron ore mines. Hence, these steel mills procure iron ore from their captive sources, thus reducing the impact of market volatility for this input at least. Impact, however, is felt only because of the quantum increase in coking coal prices, administrative and labour costs which, cumulatively, are quite significant. India imports around 50Mt of coking coal annually from across the world, including Russia. The impact of the coking coal price increase, therefore, will impact the profit margins of all steelmaking companies including Tata Steel and SAIL. Speaking on the sidelines of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), T V Narendran, managing director and chief executive officer of Tata Steel, said, “Raw materials prices have risen exorbitantly in the last few months. Not April 2022

India.indd 2

just that, all other elements that go into steelmaking have shot up, along with a sharp increase in the freight cost. Hence, Indian steel mills are facing a huge cost pressure on their output.” Considering all factors, production costs for Indian steel mills have risen 40% in the last few months. Coking coal alone contributes around 40% of the steel production cost. “If coking coal prices continue to remain at current levels, Indian mills will have to curtail steel production. So, unavailability of coking coal and unaffordability of steel production will prompt us to exercise a production cut,” said Rao. To ease the impact, India is considering importing coking coal from Russia which is currently available at a massive discount due to Western sanctions.

Difficulties in passing on to consumers The cost of steel production in China is substantially lower than in India due to a lower purchase cost of coking coal and iron ore, followed by much lower labour costs. For Chinese steel mills, coking coal prices have not gone up to the extent that the prices have surged for Indian steel mills. Therefore, Indian steel mills fear that the increase in steel prices may encourage cheap imports from China. India has been importing a huge quantity of steel from China to meet domestic demand. “So, we will not be able to pass on the entire input cost surge to consumers. Also, it will have an impact on overall steel demand in India. For JSW Steel, volume for the current financial year (April – 2021 to March 2022) will be higher and margins will be lower,” said Rao. Meanwhile, there has been a huge distortion in prices between Asia in general and India in particular; and Europe. While India steel prices have risen by 12%, in Europe they have jumped by 50%. European steel mills were able to pass on the increase in input costs to consumers by moderating steel production, whereas Indian steel mills couldn’t due to weak demand. Already, the supply side is looking tight because of disruptions from Russia and Ukraine. Currently, the whole world is underestimating the demand side which may remain strong in the coming months on a sudden surge in pent-up demand after the easing of Covid-restrictions. The demand slump in China, according to Rao, is a temporary phenomenon that will soon be overcome. India’s steel demand, however, is estimated at 106Mt to the year ending March 31, 2022, as against 93-94Mt reported in the previous financial year, due to the government’s increased spending on infrastructure projects. India’s steel demand is going to accelerate further. Conclusion India is looking to accelerate imports of coking coal from Russia, of course with a discount offer, in a bid to cut steel production costs. India imported around 4.5 million tonnes of coking coal from Russia in the financial year 2020-21 and now plans to double it in the coming year. But, the impact of doubling coking coal imports on overall input costs may not bring substantial relief for Indian steel mills in the longer term. � www.steeltimesint.com

13/04/2022 07:24:56

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INNOVATIONS

FEIN announces new metal core drill

Sensonics releases monitoring system guide Sensonics, a leading supplier of turbine supervisory and protection equipment, is offering a new free-to-download guide, which covers all types of vibration monitoring along with the key questions to ask when designing or specifying a vibration monitoring system. With over 40 years’ experience in providing vibration, displacement, seismic and speed monitoring instrumentation, SENSONICS is hoping to partner with its customers in helping them to incorporate vibration monitoring solutions into system designs. The three-part guide offers practical assistance which discusses the types of sensors and monitoring systems available, how they are used, as well as addressing the key questions an engineer should ask when designing an integrated vibration system for their application. For example; what sensor should I select for absolute or relative vibration measurements? Where should the sensor should be fitted? What electrical interface is needed? What distance can I have between sensors and monitoring equipment? Sensonics also offers a full range of sensors and API 670 compliant measuring along with design, installation, and commissioning services. For further information, log on to www.sensonics.co.uk

Power tools and accessories manufacturer, FEIN, has announced the release of its brand new KBE 32 metal core drill, new additions to its beveller range and its MKAS 355 metal chop saw, which the company claims demonstrates its commitment to supporting metalworkers by providing solutions to the everyday challenges they face. “At FEIN, we pride ourselves on our application-based approach and providing trusted consultancy to our customers, which ultimately enables them to source the best solution for the job. Research we conducted last year revealed many metalworkers are using tools that aren’t fitfor-purpose, which is having a detrimental impact on health and safety, efficiency and productivity. For this reason, our ethos centres on matching people with the right tools for the right applications and we’re excited to share more details on exactly how we do this, while showcasing our commitment to innovation,” commented Andy Mills, managing director, FEIN UK. With a 1200-Watt motor for drilling up to 32 mm, FEIN’s new KBE 32 metal core drill is claimed to be the first tool ever to combine a weight of 10.8 kg with 1200-Watt, offering a power-toweight ratio with high magnetic holding force, aiming to ensure hard work is easy yet safe. According to FEIN, its beveller range provides superior precision, as well as enhanced health and safety at work by producing swarf as a waste product. Unlike the dust produced with angle grinders, this falls onto the ground and doesn’t circulate in the air. New booster technology deployed in FEIN’s KFH 17-15 beveller is also claimed to deliver 30–80% more cutting with significantly reduced vibrations. “We have several pioneering new tools we’re excited to unveil. From those operating across automotive, general fabrication or machinery manufacturing, to those in offshore/shipbuilding,

rail, steel production or sheet metal industries, our vast portfolio covers a wide range of tasks and several different performance classes,” Mills continued. With over 150 years’ experience in manufacturing power tools, FEIN has a history of innovation and provides support to dealers, along with application-based solutions for end-users in the metalworking and construction sectors. “Our team of experts are able to offer personalised advice to help provide solutions to any challenges customers across the metalworking sector may be facing, with the current tools they have access to.’’ Mills concluded. For further information, log on to www.fein.com

Nitrex completes plant expansion Nitrex, a global provider of fully integrated surface treatment solutions, has announced the completion of its Poland plant expansion. According to the company, this expansion will allow Nitrex to not only double its current European production capacity for both of its turnkey solutions, including gas nitriding furnaces, and its UPC Marathon software and controls products line, but also manufacture its new advanced vacuum heat-treating systems (formerly marketed under the G-M Enterprises name). “When we set out to grow the vacuum furnace business with G-M Enterprises and bring these value-engineered solutions to the rest of

the world, we knew that we had to scale internationally,” said Jean Francois Cloutier, Nitrex’s CEO. “We saw an outstanding growth opportunity to build that potential even further, using our newly expanded manufacturing base in Poland to tap into the European market. This aligns with our vision to deliver to our customers’ turnkey solutions globally, with agility and efficiency, all while maintaining high quality standards,” continued Cloutier.

For further information, log on to www.nitrex.com April 2022

innovations – read MM..indd 1

08/04/2022 10:20:47

INNOVATIONS

MAC acquires TacTic™ Magnetic Analysis Corporation, (MAC®) a designer and producer of non-destructive test instruments and systems since 1928, has announced the asset acquisition of TacTic™, a Division of Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI). Originally founded as TAC Technical Instrument Corp. in 1962, the company became part of LTI’s operations in 2018. The acquisition will broaden MAC’s range of NDT systems to include automated and specialized immersion and ‘spin the tube’ ultrasonic test systems to detect surface and subsurface defects in round tube, pipe, and bar. According to MAC, these systems are especially applicable to metal producers who are looking for a cost-effective system to test small batches of material or frequent diameter size changes. In making the announcement, MAC® president and CEO Dudley Boden noted that “This is a natural fit for us as we have partnered with TacTic™ for a number of years supplying our Echomac® Ultrasonic Electronics for integration with TacTic’s systems. Both companies have a long history of helping metal producers achieve reliable inspection that meets their specific needs and many of TacTic’s customers are also customers of MAC. Support will be handled through our existing field network of engineers and experienced representatives around the world. With MAC’s wider sales and support and the synergies with our existing customer base, we expect to be

able to build this into a substantial product line for MAC, bringing this technology to customers around the world.” Commenting on the acquisition, Fred Beck, who has been serving as vice president of sales for TacTic™ at LTI in recent years, and is a son of TacTic’s co-founder, Kenneth H. Beck, said: “I am very excited about the future and will continue to play an active role in this new venture. It brings with it many opportunities as both companies have developed established products that complement each other with little overlap. MAC’s instruments provide a much-needed source for ultrasonic instrumentation designed for production testing of tubular and bar products. More-

over, their domestic and international sales and service teams will allow TacTic customers to be served more efficiently. I am also pleased that our companies share a history of family ownership.” Beck will be assisting MAC during the transition as well as sharing his technical knowledge and years of experience during future sale activities. TacTic operations in Trevose, PA will be moved to MAC’s Elmsford, NY headquarters and manufacturing plant.

For further information, log on to www.mac-ndt.com

Konecranes receives order for reach stackers Konecranes, a specialist in lifting equipment, received an order from the Container Terminal Management of the Port of Douala (RTC) for five Liftace reach stackers and one empty container handler to increase the productivity of their operations. The order was booked in April 2021, and the lift trucks were handed over in a special on-site ceremony in December. RTC is part of the Port Authority of Douala and has been in charge of managing the terminal on the west African coast since January 2020. RTC was keen to update its multi-modal terminal with modern container handling equipment to increase its capacity as demand continues to rise,

with an average annual throughput of 370,000 TEU traveling on sea, road and rail. The lift trucks are used for most of the export yard operations and taking care of empty containers. “Our terminal has been using Konecranes products for years, and they’ve provided outstanding performance,” says Adepi Martin, chief operation officer of RTC. “With the help of their excellent customer service, we’re sure that these new Konecranes lift trucks will help us to maximize our efficiency all the way from landside to quayside, reduce vessel anchorage time and transit time, and improve container truck turnaround.”

“This new delivery shows the level of confidence that RTC has in Konecranes,” says Winfried Lux, sales manager for Konecranes Lift Trucks. “We offer durability, reliability and flexibility in both our products and our partnership with them. Local dealer Patterson Simons & Co. (Africa) Ltd. has provided essential support whenever needed and we are pleased to continue working with RTC as they develop their terminal fleet into the future.” The five new reach stackers are Konecranes Liftace SMV 4532 TCE5s, 45-ton lifting machines able to stack up to five containers high. The empty container handler is an SMV 6/7 ECC 90, with a wide mast for the option of stacking six empty high-cube containers or seven standard containers. All six lift trucks feature the ergonomic OPTIMA cabin for comfort and wide visibility, and each vehicle uses a Tier 3 engine to maintain productivity while minimizing fuel consumption and emissions. Included in the delivery are full spare parts packages, ensuring that parts will always be available when needed. For further information, log on to www.kclifttrucks.com

www.steeltimesint.com

innovations – read MM..indd 2

08/04/2022 10:20:54

— Tundish EMS For billet and bloom casting and metal powder production

Go beyond the limited capabilities of tundish furniture systems to produce cleaner, better quality steel and increase productivity and profitability in your billet or bloom casting or metal powder production process. The ABB Tundish EMS electromagnetic stirrer allows steelmakers to do even more to control steel flow, homogenize and stabilize temperature and remove inclusions in tundish. This technology has already been successfully implemented on a billet caster at Zenith Steel, China. abb.com/metals Attending AISTECH 2022? Meet our metallurgical experts at ABB booth 807.

093166 Annons Tundish EMS A4_2022.indd 2

30.03.2022 13:29:27

INNOVATIONS

Tenova and Salzgitter AG partner in low-carbon steelmaking

Salzgitter AG, one of Europe’s leading steel and technology groups, and Tenova, worldwide partner for solutions in the metals and steel industry, have signed a Memorandum of Understand-

ing (MOU), thereby substantiating their close co-operation in the next steps toward realizing SALCOS® – (Salzgitter Low CO2-Steelmaking). Conditional on the respective funding approvals, Salzgitter AG intends to order a DRI plant from Tenova with an annual capacity of 2.1 Mt for the future industrial production of directly reduced sponge iron. The plant will be based on the ENERGIRON® technology, jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli. According to the companies, by signing the Memorandum of Understanding, they reaffirm their co-operation based on a spirit of partnership and their joint determination to start construction work on the first stage of SALCOS® as early as this summer. SALCOS® is a programme designed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in steel production and is aimed at achieving a gradual transformation process away from carbon-intensive conventional steel production and toward direct reduction with the flexible and increasing deploy-

ment of hydrogen. Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter AG commented: “The agreement with Tenova is a momentous milestone in the implementation of the SALCOS® programme. It enables us to be in a position to commence directly with the construction phase for realizing low CO2 steel production, once approval has been given to the public funding requested. SALCOS® secures the future sustainability of Salzgitter as a steel location and the jobs there.” Roberto Pancaldi, CEO of Tenova, commented: “Tenova has invested hugely in recent years in developing technologies to substantially reduce energy consumption and improve steel production’s environmental footprint. In this landmark development, hydrogen plays a central role and the SALCOS® concept could become a decisive milestone for our industry.” For further information, log on to www.tenova.com

Electralloy releases digital product ﬂip book Electralloy, manufacturer of speciality alloys, and GO Carlson, producer of heat-resistant materials, has recently completed an overhaul of company capabilities data and now has a new digital flip book and product line card available for customers and prospects. The summaries cover the scope of company EAF, AOD and ESR/VAR

April 2022

innovations – read MM..indd 3

capabilities, as well as providing detailed information on product lines and grades, heat treat and wrought products and the new GOC Property Holdings Small Bar Processing facility. The 12 page online booklet features in-depth analysis of the company’s products, as well as specifications to provide customers with a more

detailed information source on what the company offers. The booklet is available to browse on the company’s website, and features direct links to the products for ease of access. For further information, log on to www.electralloy.com

www.steeltimesint.com

08/04/2022 10:21:06

INNOVATIONS

Modulift manufactures new corner units Modulift, the lifting equipment specialist based in Dorset, UK has manufactured its first ever CMOD 250 corner units. The CMOD 250 can achieve a working load limit of 300t, reach spans of 20m x 20m, and the corner units come with a new design that aims to reduce the contact stresses between the top shackle bow and corner unit centre plate. The design also has two rounded contact faces, enabling the shackle bow to work efficiently

Safe Lifting Europe B.V., a heavy lifting rental company based in the Netherlands was the first customer to receive these pieces of equipment which will be used for a lift later in the year. Jacques Vroegop, operations manager for Safe Lifting Europe B.V. said, “Modulift always have a solution for us when we have a complicated lift and we were surprised with the CMOD 250. The size of span that it can reach is phenomenal, it really can be a huge frame and we can’t wait to use it later in the year.” A second set of CMOD 250 corner units are being shipped to the United States shortly to facilitate a heavy lift for a shipbuilding company via Modulifts partner, I&I SLING CO.

www.steeltimesint.com

innovations – read MM..indd 4

John Baker, commercial director for Modulift said, “Our CMOD spreader frame range is a firm favourite with our customers and the demand for the product has gone from strength to strength. One of the key selling points of the CMOD system is it’s compatibility with the standard Modulift struts, customers that already have Modulift struts can easily transform a beam into a frame by adding Corner Units. We are really looking forward to seeing both sets of CMOD 250 in action this year.”

For further information, log on to www.modulift.com

April 2022

08/04/2022 10:21:20

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INNOVATIONS

Combilift launches multi-directional forklift Combilift, leader in handling solutions, has announced the launch of its new multi-directional forklift. The Combi-MR4 is a four-wheel electric powered multi-directional reach-truck, incorporating Combilifts’ new Dynamic 360° ™ steering, which provides rotation on each wheel, enabling seamless directional change of the truck while on the move. The system allows the forklift to work in forward, sideward and crab steer mode, which the company claims guarantees swift operation and excellent manoeuvrability. The impetus for the development of this latest addition to Combilift’s portfolio was to develop a multi-directional truck, with a very low platform to maximise storage density within racking. The Combi-MR4 is available in two models, with capacity ranges of 2,500kg - 3,000kg and 3,500kg - 4,500kg respectively, and can operate in aisles as narrow as 2,265mm when guided (based on 1,200mm deep material). To maximise all storage space in racking systems the wheel configuration of two-drive wheels at the rear and two sets of smaller dual front wheels provides a platform height as low as 380mm, allowing otherwise redundant areas towards the floor to be used. One of the Netherlands’ leading suppliers of timber products and building materials, with 104 outlets across the country, TABS has partnered with Combilift and operated its multi-directional trucks for more than 15 years. It now has MR4 trucks at several locations in the Netherlands and is about to take delivery of its 15th and 16th trucks, which will work at its distribution centres

in Zaandam and Bleiswijk. Combilift CEO Martin McVicar commented: “TABS are delighted with the ongoing successful implementation of their Combi-MR4s and the improved levels of efficiency thanks to the overall design and features such as low platform height as well as the advanced Dynamic 360°™ steering system. I have no doubt that this new additional

electric model will grow Combilift’s customer base. We are looking forward to showcasing the Combi-MR4 to our existing dealers, and potential new customers during the LogiMAT Intralogistics exhibition in Stuttgart at the end of May”. For further information, log on to www.combilift.com

Revolutionary shrink film for metals EcoSonic® VpCI®-125 ESD Shrink Film (HP-UV) from Cortec is said to combine the latest film technology with the most effective corrosion protection for metal products. It is described as a ‘revolutionary ESD shrink film’ that is a mixture of high (UV) and vapour phase corrosion inhibitor technology. The film is claimed to be unique in its ability to prevent corrosion and ESD damage as it combines multi-metal corrosion protection with strong static dissipative properties. EcoSonic® VpCI®-125 ESD Shrink Film (HP-UV) is claimed to have many practical characteristics. Users of the film can shrink wrap their small or large components as normal to conform to the shape of the object. The product replaces conventional rust preventatives, such as oils and desiccants, allowing the product under protection to be used immediately without cleaning or degreasing. Sealing a metal product using the product will, it is claimed, protect a wide variety of metals from rust, tarnish, stains and oxidation. Costing savings are enabled because the product will eliminate all the degreasing or coating removal required in the past. Products wrapped in the film can be used immediately. Furtherwww.steeltimesint.com

innovations – read MM..indd 5

more, the film does not contain free amines, phosphates, or halogen-based materials and is non-toxic and recyclable. According to Cortec, EcoSonic® VpCI®-125 ESD Shrink Film (HP-UV) protects components from electrostatic discharge and conforms to the surface resistivity and static decay requirements of MILPRF-81705 D (static dissipative packaging materials). The film is safe to use and does not contain any harmful Prop 65 ingredients. EcoSonic® VpCI®-125 ESD Shrink Film (HP-UV) has been tested effective for up to two years of corrosion protection and one year of ESD protection. The corrosion inhibitors vaporize and condense on all metal surfaces within the enclosed space and diffuse to every area of your part; protecting its exterior, as well as void spaces and recessed areas. Equipment is completely protected from corrosion during storage, lay-up, and staging as well as during domestic and overseas shipments.

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08/04/2022 10:21:26

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INNOVATIONS

Over the past 23 years, Philippi-Hagenbuch has manufactured hundreds of rear-eject truck bodies to help customers increase their productivity, safety and stability for off-highway operations

Lead time reduced for rear ejects Philippi-Hagenbuch (PHIL) is offering in-stock inventory of its most popular sizes of rear eject bodies, which can reduce the rear-eject lead time for 35- to 45-ton truck models to six weeks or less, the company claims. Over the past 23 years, PHIL has manufactured hundreds of rear eject truck bodies to help customers increase productivity, safety and stability for off-highway operations. Rear ejects are engineered and manufactured to fit the specific truck body chassis and are claimed to be easy to operate in the cab, reducing dumping and spreading time by eliminating the need to stop and raise the truck body. According to the company, a variety of industries use rear eject bodies and trailers to ‘significantly improve their productivity when dispensing material and overcoming situations where overhead barriers inhibit traditional dump bodies’. Josh Swank, PHIL’s vice president of sales and marketing, said that the company was dedicated to offering its clients the equipment they need in a way that increases the productivity of their specific haul trucks. “We remain committed to offering customized solutions for our customers, including our rear-eject product line,” he said, adding that the majority of the company’s rear eject bodies are for 35- to 45-ton trucks. “We can now offer a faster turnaround time for those customers by maintaining an inventory of our most common models. This is especially

beneficial with so many of our clients facing the current supply chain and lead time challenges,” Swank said. PHIL continues to custom-engineer and build rear-eject bodies and trailers for a variety of makes and models of off-highway trucks to provide solutions for each customer’s unique needs. Beyond its in-stock sizes, the company manufactures rear-ejects that can fit 25- to 60-ton haul trucks. The rear-eject bodies are manufactured with high-strength, abrasion-resistant Hardox 450 steel, which, it is claimed, are proven to last up to 20 years and are often put on a second truck after the first chassis has worn out, says PHIL. “Over the last few years, we have made it a priority to evolve and update our rear ejects based on feedback to offer an even better product for our clients,” said Swank. “We had a vision to further develop not only the operation of both the ejector blade and the rear tailgate mechanism, but to reduce the number of parts, evolving the track design to strengthen the body sides and to decrease the need for maintenance or replacement.” The company has upgraded its rear-eject design with a single, newly-engineered, threestage, double-acting hydraulic cylinder that is claimed to be ‘robust enough to keep the rearejects operating in extreme cold or in equatorial warm-weather locations’. The cylinder has been

specifically designed, says PHIL, for horizontal movement so it will not buckle or bind when fully extended. PHIL claims that operations can effectively and safely dump material with a rear-eject even when a truck is out of position, driving up a hill or under overhead barriers with low clearance, such as power lines, roof lines, pipelines or bridges. The ejector blade of a rear-eject pushes material toward the rear of the truck while the tailgate mechanically lowers down, and material is completely ejected. Where trucks are traveling on soft surfaces, rear-ejects offer a constantly low centre of gravity and stabilization. “This effective dumping action eliminates further downtime and significantly increases jobsite safety and productivity,” the company claims. Swank said he envisions the use of PHIL’s rearejects to remain and grow as an important part of the construction, aggregate, mining, refuse and scrap steel handling industries as he believes they offer greater safety and efficiency to any operation. “With many developments in our rear eject product line over the last three decades, Philippi-Hagenbuch is excited to continue that growth and consistently set the standard in providing custom hauling solutions for our clients and revolutionize the way work is done.” For further information, log on to www.philsystems.com.

WIDIA™ introduces new milling platform WIDIA™, manufacturer of metal cutting products, has announced the launch of the WCE solid end milling platform, which the company claims delivers affordable performance and reliability for small to medium machine shops. The initial release of the WCE platform features WCE4, a four-flute geometry which combines new features with a versatile grade offered at a competitive price. “With its new design, the WCE4 delivers the next generation of versatile end mills to help our customers be more productive and efficient,”

innovations – read MM..indd 6

said Tamir Sherif, solid end milling global portfolio manager, WIDIA. “The WCE4 is an attractively priced tool for small-to-medium shop floors where reliability and consistent tool life are high priorities.” Two key features of the tool are its asymmetrical index and variable helix. The combination of the two aims to reduce vibrations and enable heavy cuts, while the new grade, WU20PE, is claimed to enable versatility on steel, stainless steel and cast-iron applications. These design features, coupled with the four-

flute geometry, are expected to deliver an end mill with reliable performance and application versatility – even in operations such as full slots and heavy cuts. The WCE platform includes fourflute, square-end and ball nose end mills with both straight and Weldon shanks and is available in both metric and inch dimensions.

For further information, log on to www.widia.com

08/04/2022 10:21:38

INNOVATIONS Konecranes has announced the release of three more upgrades to its Lifetime Advantage programme. The company’s commitment to improving lift truck performance not only brings the upgrades, but also includes spare parts deals and an updated eLearning platform. Two of the three new upgrades address safety issues. The first safety upgrade, Grid cabin protection, provides a protection grille for the front, roof or rear windshields, or any combination of these. Accidents can easily occur in a busy work environment, and according to Konecranes, the metal grid reduces the risk of damage to an unprotected cabin in the event of a sudden collision. The second safety upgrade is a running board and handrail mounted all around the walkable surfaces of the lift truck, which claims to allow drivers and technicians to move more safely while carrying out maintenance, service or inspections. The third upgrade aims to improve productiv-

ity in dusty work environments such as mines, construction sites or arid terrain via an engine air pre-cleaner filter mounted above the standard air filter. Konecranes states that double filtration reduces the downtime needed to replace filters and extends the life of the engine by keeping it free of micro-abrasive dust. “These upgrades are specific solutions that can be retrofitted to Konecranes lift trucks on customer sites,” said Johan Kårhammer, global spare parts operations manager at Konecranes Lift Trucks. “We’ve decided to release these three new upgrades to give our customers the widest possible range of options to suit their specific needs.” Konecranes Lift Trucks has also updated the Konecranes Lift Trucks Academy (KLA) eLearning platform with more language options, course content and broader customer support. With access to over 80 free online courses, the company hopes that customers and partners can easily

improve their knowledge and skills related to Konecranes lift trucks at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. “The Konecranes Lifetime Advantage programme is meant to support customers in their daily business as they work towards their future. We make sure that Konecranes lift trucks are maintained and improved through equipment upgrades and knowledge services such as our KLA eLearning platform.” says Patrik Lundbäck, vice president and head of sales and distribution at Konecranes Lift Trucks. “After the success of our previous upgrades, we can thank the efforts of our programme team and our global distributor network as they work together with customers to maximize uptime, improve performance and extend the life cycle of Konecranes lift trucks.” For further information, log on to www.konecranes.com

More upgrades from Konecranes

Nanoprecise unveils AI automation system Nanoprecise, global maintenance solutions provider, has announced the release of its new AI automation system, the MachineDoctorTM. The AI -based intelligent automation system comprises of a 6-in-1 IIoT sensor – which is a wireless hardware that measures six parameters – vibration, acoustic emissions, RPM, temperature, humidity, and magnetic flux – all of which describe the health of any rotating machinery; and RotationLFTM – an AI-based analytics platform that analyses data in real-time for early fault detection and predicting remaining time to failure. According to Nanoprecise, it not only allows for reduced

downtimes and increased productivity, but also facilitates time and cost saving of maintenance activities. The automated end-to-end predictive maintenance system from Nanoprecise claims to offer real-time insights on machine health and performance of critical pieces of machinery throughout the manufacturing process. The system is designed to identify negative impact on the plant before it happens, by predicting faults and characterizing them to offer suggestions on corrective actions. This, says the company, helps maintenance and reliability professionals to make

faster decisions that drive efficiency and improve the competitive advantage of the manufacturers. For further information, log on to www.nanoprecise.com www.nanoprecise.io

www.steeltimesint.com

innovations – read MM..indd 7

08/04/2022 10:21:51

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FERROUS SCRAP

‘Absolutely wild right now’

A leading figure inside the USA’s Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries claims that the US ferrous scrap market is pretty wild at present and was getting a little volatile even before Russian invaded Ukraine. Myra Pinkham* talks to those in the know about the state of ferrous scrap markets and how things are likely to pan out for the US steel industry. “THE US ferrous scrap market is absolutely wild right now,” Joseph Pickard, chief economist and director of commodities for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) declared, noting that while there were expectations for increased volatility, even before Russia invaded Ukraine, he said that everything has gone ‘topsy turvy’ since then given the impact that the war has been having upon all steel raw material supply chains. This comes on top of long-term questions whether US steelmakers would have access to enough ferrous scrap – particularly busheling and other prime scrap – once the surge in new electric arc furnace (EAF) steel capacity slated for the next several years is brought online. “We haven’t come across a market like this for a long time – maybe never,” Don Martin, senior vice president of ferrous marketing and trading at Alter Trading Corp., said, noting that it has been changing day-by-day. “Everyone is trying to figure out what all of this means and whether it is going to result in supply shortages.”

He explained that a lot of companies really don’t understand how much steelmaking raw materials – not just ferrous scrap, but also pig iron and iron ore – had been coming from Ukraine and Russia, but are now being disrupted, and where they now need to go to get that material. “There are a lot of different innuendos with everyone just trying to figure all of this out, but I don’t think anyone really knows what they need to do quite yet.” One thing that is clear is that the dynamics of the scrap market, and of commodity markets in general, have changed considerably from earlier this year, Greg Dixon, CEO of Smart Recycling Management, declared, noting that in January and February ferrous scrap demand was actually a little on the timid side. In fact, Philip Gibbs, an equity research analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets, observed that in January, when US ferrous scrap prices usually go up, they actually fell $50-$60 per long ton and that in February there was ‘further bloodletting in prime scrap, although obsolete scrap prices largely moved sideways’.

There were several factors that contributed to that. One, according to Frank Goulding, SA Recycling’s Southeast ferrous marketing manager, is that with scrap recyclers catching up with previous orders at the same time as there were mill outages and logistics issues, December mill scrap inventories were at record levels. This, Dixon noted, occurred while US steel prices – particularly flat rolled steel prices – were declining, which resulted in mills having to evaluate how hard they wanted to run their plants. “While they sat back, trying to figure things out, they pulled back some of their scrap purchases,” he said. But now that is just water under the bridge. It is a new world with prices exploding,” ISRI’s Pickard declared, equating the changes in scrap pricing to the roller coaster ride that US hot rolled coil (HRC) has been on – first approaching $1,900 per short ton last year, then falling to about $1,000 per ton and by mid-March already moving back to about $1,300 per ton with potential to go even higher. It is a similar story for US ferrous scrap. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed

* USA correspondent www.steeltimesint.com

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April 2022

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FERROUS SCRAP

“With the scrap processors becoming larger they not only have more negotiating power with the mills, but it could also give them deeper pockets to navigate

”

difﬁcult market conditions

Joseph Pickard, chief economist and director of commodities for ISRI everything,” said John Anton, director of steel for S&P Global’s pricing and purchasing service, who noted due to the war that scrap has gotten very expensive – with prime grades moving up about $175 per ton and prices for obsolete grades increasing about $125 per ton in March. “Scrap prices will probably continue to climb, at least in April, and likely in May as well,” KeyBanc’s Gibbs said, “But eventually they will come down again.” It is hard to say when and by how much, he said, given that it is largely dependent upon what happens in Ukraine. The price hike wasn’t surprising given the way that the war has disrupted global supply chains for ferrous scrap, as well as for several other commodities, Kevin Dempsey, president and chief executive officer of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), pointed out, noting that, for example, Turkey’s steel industry, which is the largest importer of US ferrous scrap, is also a large importer of Russian scrap. “Nonetheless, the US has substantial ferrous scrap supplied and is the world’s largest net exporter,” Dempsey observed. Pickard said that one reason why prime scrap – which is almost exclusively sold domestically, unlike obsolete scrap, a lot of which is exported – jumped so high in March is because a lot of domestic steelmakers were concerned that they might not be able to secure the busheling and other prime scrap that they required to meet their production needs. Goulding noted that this comes as supply chain issues, such as the global microchip shortage, has resulted in lower output of April 2022

scrap Myra.indd – read MM.indd 2

certain steel-containing products such as automobiles and appliances, which, in turn, has resulted in less prime scrap coming into the market. That has been exacerbated by the impact that the Ukrainian war is having upon pig iron. Anton observed that in normal times Russia accounts for about 40% of globally traded pig iron and Ukraine accounting for about 20%. Therefore, the war has removed about 60% of pig iron exports from the market. That has caused US pig iron import prices to jump. This, Gibbs said, is coming at the same time as coal prices have gotten extremely high – about three times their normal level, which has encouraged integrated producers to use less coal and more scrap in their blast furnaces. “This, however, will eventually correct itself,” Gibbs said, noting that as of late March Russia had already started to ship some pig iron to Europe. Anton said the tightness in pig iron availability is impacting companies who had been relying on merchant pig iron as a steelmaking (or casting) input – not just companies in the Black Sea region, but those in Turkey, Europe, the US and elsewhere – with those companies now desperately looking to get their hands on prime scrap. But it isn’t just prime scrap that they are scrambling for; some mills are looking to increase their use of obsolete scrap, particularly shredded scrap, Martin said, noting that this isn’t just because of the tight supply of prime scrap, but because using more shredded scrap can help them improve their rate of productivity. Given

that shredded scrap melts faster, it allows mills to get more heats per day. However, shredded scrap isn’t a direct replacement for prime, especially when mills are looking to make higher quality steel grades, Anton pointed out. “They need to clean it up to make sure there isn’t any copper or other undesired elements in the scrap, and there is cost to doing so,” he said, noting that, on the other hand, busheling is already clean. US ferrous scrap exports are increasing and have been doing so even prior to the war, further tightening scrap supply. That has been the case for exports to Turkey, the USA’s largest export market. Pickard noted that last year US ferrous scrap exports to Turkey were down 14.5% year-on-year even though its steel production was up about 17% because, with the depreciation of the Turkish lira versus the US dollar and high freight rates, at that time they chose to buy scrap from other origins, including Russia and Europe. However, even as early as January, the latest month for which trade data is available, overall US ferrous scrap exports were already up 13% year-on-year including a 15% increase in exports to Turkey. Pickard noted that US exports were up significantly in Bangladesh (84%), Egypt (66%), Taiwan (10%), Peru (60%) and India (54%). One question mark, however, is Mexico. While US ferrous scrap exports to Mexico were down 22% year-on-year in January, Anton said given that Mexico imported 3.3Mt of Russian semi-finished steel (slabs and billet) last year through November, it is likely that Mexico will either increase the amount of scrap that it buys from the US this year or their bids against the US for Brazilian pig iron. Brazil traditionally supplies about 20% of the world’s merchant pig iron. “Ferrous scrap, however, is an interesting commodity, in that it is very elastic,” Philip Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), said, maintaining that when the pricing dynamics are right there always seems to be enough scrap available. The big question is whether there will be enough US ferrous scrap – particularly prime scrap – available with as much as 20Mt (short tons) of US EAF steel capacity, both from new greenfield mills and from brownfield expansions – including several new projects that were just announced over the last several months – expected to come online by 2024. In fact, Anton said that www.steeltimesint.com

13/04/2022 06:47:05

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9-10 tons of that capacity is slated for this year and next year, including some – such as Steel Dynamics’ Sinton, Texas, mill and Nucor’s Gallatin, Ky., facility, which will be making high end – even automotive grade – steels that require prime scrap and/or such alternative iron units as pig iron, direct reduced iron (DRI) or hot briquetted iron (HBI). “But you can’t just look at this new steelmaking capacity as being additional capacity on top of existing capacity,” Bell said, pointing out that it will displace some imports and some inefficient, older steelmaking capacity and could also result in some mills re-evaluating what they want to produce at some of their facilities. One recent example of its displacement of other steelmaking capacity is ClevelandCliffs’ February announcement that it was indefinitely idling its Indiana Harbour blast furnace, which the company said was the result of its successful implementation of operational improvements helped by increasing its scrap and in-house produced HBI usage in its blast furnaces. Cliffs also made a move that surprised some industry observers given that it is an integrated steelmaker – its recent acquisition of Ferrous Processing & Trading (FPT), which is a sizable prime scrap recycler. It appears that at least part of its motivation is the desire to use more scrap in its blast furnaces, although some have questioned whether this is an indication that, like US Steel, Cliffs might be considering adding an EAF and/or if it is looking to heighten its competitiveness by keeping prime out of other companies’ hands. There is some speculation that Cliffs might restart one of its currently idled blast furnaces to produce pig iron. But the company has not yet made such an announcement, although some other North American steelmakers have. In late February US Steel announced a $60 million investment at its Gary Works to enable it to produce up to 500kt/yr of pig iron there, allowing it to provide almost half of Big River Steel’s ore-based metallics needs. This came shortly after US Steel announced that it was adding another EAF at Big River. Earlier this year Canadian steelmaker Stelco commissioned a new pig iron caster at its Lake Erie Works enabling the company to produce up to 1Mt/yr of merchant pig iron. “There had been expectations that US

mills would be bringing on more DRI production capacity,” Anton said, noting that they might need to start looking at doing so. “Otherwise scrap availability will tighten up and will stay tight, resulting in even higher prices.” The concern about the potential tightening of supply has been going hand-in-hand with the consolidation of the US scrap recycling industry, according to ISRI’s Pickard, who noted that recent consolidation has not just involved steel mills buying more scrap yards, but also recyclers buying other scrap assets to increase their market share and to secure their supply. Big acquisitions SMA’s Bell noted that there have already been some big acquisitions of scrap recyclers by mills over the past few years. In addition to Cliffs’ purchase of FPT, BlueScope has acquired the ferrous scrap assets of MetalX, including its shredder in Delta, Ohio; Nucor bought a few scrap assets last year, including Grossman Iron & Steel; and Steel Dynamics acquired Mexican recycler Zimmer in 2020, largely to supply its new Sinton mill. “There are also rumours of other big deals in the works,” Dixon said. As far as consolidation by other scrap companies, SA Recycling, which recently acquired PSC Metals, is seen as being the most aggressive in that regard, although not the only scrap recycler to do so. For example, Schnitzer Steel, which also has some steelmaking assets, recently acquired Columbus Recycling. Pickard said there could be more consolidation given the huge number of small scrap companies. “With the scrap processors becoming larger they not only have more negotiating power with the mills, but it could also give them deeper pockets to navigate difficult market conditions,” he explained. While it is very hard to predict given all the global uncertainties, as long as the US economy, therefore steel end-use markets, remain strong, Gibbs said that 2022 should be another good year for the US ferrous scrap market, although perhaps not quite as good a year as 2021 had been. Anton agreed, predicting that, given the difficulty for the supply side to adjust, prices should be at record levels, with the only way that scrap prices will come down being if steel end-use demand weakens, which is not something that he expects to occur. � www.steeltimesint.com

13/04/2022 06:47:19

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18.03.22 17:12

“IT’S AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS THE EVOLUTION OF THE STEEL INDUSTRY” Diego Diaz Fidalgo, ArcelorMittal

FULL 2022 PROGRAMME NOW ONLINE!

“THIS EVENT IS THE ONLY MEETING FOR INDUSTRY 4.0 FOCUSSED ON THE STEEL INDUSTRY IN EUROPE” Kiyoshi Ebihara, Nippon Steel Corporation

HOW DIGITALISATION CAN AID DECARBONISATION – Discussion Panels. Day 1 (Part 1 at 3:45). Day 2 (Part 2 at 3:45) SPEAKERS INCLUDE…

Mark Bula, Chief Commercial Officer, H2GreenSteel

Carlos Alba, Chief digital officer, ArcelorMittal

Professor Katja Windt, CDO, SMS group GmbH

Day 1 – Opening Keynote – 09:10)

(Day 1 - ArcelorMittal’s global approach to digitalisation – 09:40)

(Day 1 - The future of steelmaking: decarbonized and digitalized – 10:10)

Robert Vandlik, Head of digital studio, US Steel Kosice, Poland (Day 1 - Aiding human decision making and standardizing practices using artificial intelligence – 11:10)

Paramjit Kahlon, Liberty Steel Group Primary Steel & Mining (Day 1 - How Digitalisation can aid Decarbonisation Part One – 15:45)

Roman Stiftner, MD Austrian NonFerrous Metals Federation and the Austrian Mining & Steel Association (Day 1- Digitalization and automation as crucial success factors in modern steelmaking – new special steel plant sets a global benchmark – 13:45)

“WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO MY COLLEAGUES INVOLVED WITH THE DIGITALISATION OF THE BUSINESS, THE EVENT GIVES A VERY GOOD GLOBAL OVERVIEW” Luigi Morsut, Danieli & Co

Secure your discounted Early Bird Ticket now at www.FutureSteelForum.com EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS INCLUDE…

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22/03/2022 11:56

“IT’S AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS THE EVOLUTION OF THE STEEL INDUSTRY” Diego Diaz Fidalgo, ArcelorMittal

FULL 2022 PROGRAMME NOW ONLINE!

“THIS EVENT IS THE ONLY MEETING FOR INDUSTRY 4.0 FOCUSSED ON THE STEEL INDUSTRY IN EUROPE” Kiyoshi Ebihara, Nippon Steel Corporation

HOW DIGITALISATION CAN AID DECARBONISATION – Discussion Panels. Day 1 (Part 1 at 3:45). Day 2 (Part 2 at 3:45) SPEAKERS INCLUDE…

Mark Bula, Chief Commercial Officer, H2GreenSteel

Carlos Alba, Chief digital officer, ArcelorMittal

Professor Katja Windt, CDO, SMS group GmbH

Day 1 – Opening Keynote – 09:10)

(Day 1 - ArcelorMittal’s global approach to digitalisation – 09:40)

(Day 1 - The future of steelmaking: decarbonized and digitalized – 10:10)

Robert Vandlik, Head of digital studio, US Steel Kosice, Poland (Day 1 - Aiding human decision making and standardizing practices using artificial intelligence – 11:10)

Paramjit Kahlon, Liberty Steel Group Primary Steel & Mining (Day 1 - How Digitalisation can aid Decarbonisation Part One – 15:45)

“WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO MY COLLEAGUES INVOLVED WITH THE DIGITALISATION OF THE BUSINESS, THE EVENT GIVES A VERY GOOD GLOBAL OVERVIEW” Luigi Morsut, Danieli & Co

Secure your discounted Early Bird Ticket now at www.FutureSteelForum.com EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS INCLUDE…

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22/03/2022 11:56

AISTECH 2022

Back in the US of A! It’s been two years since Steel Times International flew across the North Atlantic Ocean to Pittsburgh to attend AISTech, a major US conference and exposition that forms an important part of the global steel industry’s calendar events. This year we’re back and here is a preview of the event’s exhibitors and what you can expect to find if you attend. By Catherine Hill* AFTER two years of waiting, live events are now returning – and this year’s AISTech 2022 is sure to be one not to miss, being North America’s largest annual iron and steel conference and exposition. For more than 15 years, AISTech has been providing a space for the industry to connect, share ideas, and offer global perspectives on the marketplace by featuring technologies from all over the world that help steelmakers to

develop and grow effectively. This year is no different, and will be an opportunity to meet old friends, and create new connections after a long standstill caused by the pandemic. There will be over 7,000 industry professionals from more than 40 countries: and an audience representative of steel producers, suppliers, academia and students. Every attendee will have constant opportunity to learn more

about the industry, catch up on the latest company’s developments, and get excited for what the future of steel holds! With over 500 exhibitors, and more than100 technical sessions covering all aspects of the steelmaking process, the event promises learning at every level – and a chance to engage with an industry that brings together attendees from all over the world. It really is a case of be there or be square.

* Editorial assistant, Steel Times International

ROLL TEXTURING TECHNOLOGY FROM SARCLAD

PLENTY TO SEE ON THE REDEX GROUP BOOTH

Sarclad, a leading provider of roll texturing technology, is launching the next generation of EDT technology this month, featuring a Multi-Servo Array (MSA) texture head. According to the company, Rolltex EDT-MSA will be targeted at applications that require the highest possible texture quality and consistency. Electrical Discharge Texturing (EDT) is an established technology for producing textured strip, and is claimed to produce a stochastic, isotropic surface texture on cold mill work rolls to high specific tolerances. These rolls then create a textured surface on the strip that holds lubricant to aid forming during stamping procedures. In addition to increased texturing performance, Rolltex EDT-MSA is also built to deliver operational resilience. “Each electrode contributes equally to delivering the full texture across the roll barrel surface area; any difference in performance affects the full roll surface equally,” explained Chris Childs, head of research and development at Sarclad. “In contrast, alternative EDT machines often have no contingency in the event of failure or imbalance of individual electrode channels, resulting in visible inconsistency appearing in the roll texture.’’ Sarclad is positioning its latest technological developments to those wishing to produce strip with the highest possible surface texture quality. Rolltex EDT-MSA will add to Sarclad’s existing Rolltex product range, meeting demand across the global roll texturing market. Sarclad will be exhibiting at booth #2536.

For further information, log on to www.sarclad.com

REDEX Group is part of a tiny club of leading engineering companies able to supply processing and finishing lines for steel strips. The company is a leader in several niches such as backing assemblies, levelling processes, and coating and drying strips using its patented floatation solutions. REDEX Group Machine Drives’ business unit is excited to present at AISTECH its new ‘Redex of America’ team who will be devoted to working with existing customers but also developing new business in the North American steel industry. New products and solutions the company will showcase include a complete range of pure stretch, stretch bend, tension or motorized levelling solutions for improving the flatness of the strip up to 1IU, scale breakers dedicated to pickling lines, backing assemblies, handling solutions, strip motion for all kinds of processing lines, shears for high productivity, alkaline cleaning sections, patented coaters, and

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AISTECH 2022

VELCO’S REFRACTORY GUNNING MANIPULATORS

ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTATION FROM BRUKER Bruker, the analytical instrumentation company, uses its background of analytical knowledge to provide quality and process control for iron and steelmaking producers throughout the whole supply chain – from product development and production to quality control and incoming goods inspections. The company supplies complete systems to identify and quantify compounds and trace elements. Bruker’s Combustion and Fusion instruments are ideal tools, according to the company, to control the content of elements such as carbon and sulphur, especially in difficult matrices like iron, steel and cast iron. The company’s ‘Spark Optical Emission Spectrometry’ is also used for metal analysis, covering the analysis of the chemical elements from sub-ppm to percentage levels, from impurity analysis in pure metals to high-alloyed grades. Bruker claims that all relevant elements are simultaneously analysed with easy sample preparation, combining speed, ease-of-use and low operational costs. Another product Bruker offers is X-Ray Fluorescence analysis, which the company claims is one of the best analytical techniques to perform elemental analysis, featuring accuracy and precision with simple sample preparation and having the ability to handle different sample types such as solids, pressed pellets, loose powder, fused beads and liquids safely and quickly. Bruker will be exhibiting at booth #2525.

For further information, log on to www.bruker.com

a horizontal drying section with REDEX’s patented floatation solution. REDEX Group is developing new concepts in its equipment and lines and is proposing compact lines, which are able to process precision steel strips more efficiently. REDEX group will be exhibiting at booth #141. For further information, log on to www.redex-group.com

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On booth #509 Velco will showcase its recent developments in refractory gunning manipulators for EAF and RH degassers. According to the company, the advantages of using a gunning manipulator include a better directed and faster gunning repair, meaning that the customer saves time and gunning material. The gunning repair can be observed and recorded with a built-in video camera, and the risk of working accidents is reduced as the operator can use pre-defined gunning programmes. Another innovation from Velco is the GUNMIX® moistening system. With the patented GUNMIX® moistening system, gunning is enhanced as dust emissions and rebound is reduced by approximately 30%. It is possible to process ULC and NC gunning mixes very efficiently in dry gunite processes (dry shotcrete). Velco also supplies pneumatic conveying equipment for the injection of carbon or lime powder into the EAF for the creation of foaming slag. The machine type EKS-K has a rotor feeding system for volumetric dosing of solids, which Velco claims makes the powder flow more constant, even with fluctuations in powder grain size and humidity. For further information, log on to www.velco.de

April 2022

13/04/2022 11:15:25

AISTECH 2022

GUILD INTERNATIONAL’S ADVANCED WELDING MACHINES Guild International, leader in engineering and building coil processing and end welding machines for steel processing lines, is eager to greet AISTech attendees at booth #2320. The company’s line of patented coil end processing equipment – including laser welders, arc welders, and resistance welders – are, claims the company, the most technically advanced welding machines on the market. Guild International also produces a full line of tube mill entry equipment including

uncoilers, speed funnels, flatteners and accumulators. Each one of these machines is designed and manufactured to improve the productivity of any strip processing line requiring coil handling and coil end joining and welding. Guild is aiming to lead the industry effort to fully integrate the latest laser welding technology into its coil end joining machines. The fully automatic GLS Laser System™ has been designed to require little operator involvement, and can butt weld two coil ends together using an American-built fibre laser system and produce welds at or above parent material strength with no over-thickness. Other coil end welding machines engineered and produced by Guild’s craftsmen include a full line of arc welders and resistance welders. The RCM Zipwelder butt welds two coil ends together using TIG, MIG, Plasma, or even laser welding. The NB Overlap Resistance Welder can be used on most materials that range from about 0.075mm up to about 6.5mm thick and any width up to about 2,500mm. The NB Overlap Resistance Welder is a machine that joins two overlapped coil ends together using the resistance welding process. The QM Quicklap Seam Welder series includes two machines, depending on a customer’s requirements. The QMT is used for higher speed applications and the QMM is used on heavier gauge applications. The QM Series Seam Welder joins two coil ends together by resistance welding two slightly overlapped strip ends. There are many machines available from Guild for the tube and pipe processing and stamping industries that meet their high standards for quality and performance. Accumulators, uncoilers, flatteners, even portable coil end welding machines, round out the line of equipment available from Guild International. For further information, log on to www.guildint.com

AIC’S ADVANCED SOLUTIONS FOR THE STEEL AND METALS INDUSTRY AIC Group approaches the AISTECH trade fair as a growing family, presenting itself with the historic AIC brand Capitanio Tailored Automation and German counterpart KIA KERN Industrie Automation, the result of a recent merger. Providing one-stop solutions in the cold and warm phases, KIA’s main field covers flat product processing lines such as slitting, annealing, galvanizing, and tinning. Over the past decade, AIC has decided

to enter the American market with the establishment of the AIC North America Corp., acquiring new customers, consolidating partnerships, developing new technologies, and ensuring the implementation of its activities in new conditions. The company has completed over 70 operational improvement projects mainly focused on mill automation, reheating furnace control system revamping, main drives replacement, PLC and HMI software upgrade, shears and cooling bed area expansion and modernization, finishing end areas, robotic application, level 2 systems, electrical boxes, panels and signals tracking. AIC group will premiere a brand-new mechatronics machine able to perform automatically both trimming and sampling operations and remove pieces of coils from wire rod coils produced in the still-hot rolling mill with no human intervention. Designed on a robotic arm with tailor-made equipment and features mounted onboard – including mechanical parts, 3D vision systems, a high level of automation and artificial intelligence – the product has been set up to be standalone and fit into the very small floor-space of any existing coil handling system, without having to make any other changes on-site. According to AIC, the machine stands as a natural progression of the company’s ambition in mechatronics and robotics solutions, relying on the company’s capabilities in studying and designing intensively the state-of-the-art novelty for the market to be flawless in improving the often-harsh conditions that its customers operate in. The company aims to offer flexibility and scalability because of the simplicity and integration of its solutions, which they hope will allow them to be approached in a modular and scalable manner. AIC Group will be exhibiting at booth #1841. For further information, log on to www.aic-group.co.uk

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AISTECH 2022

A VARIETY OF SERVICES FROM THE SYSTEMS GROUP The Systems Group offers a variety of services; from proprietary Spray-Cooled™ technology to the ‘fab and machine shop’, self-performing contracting, and on-site plant services. One product the company is excited to showcase is the Systems Spray-Cooled. The company claims that the product is safer and more effective than pressurized water cooling and greener because it eliminates panel-to-panel gaps, thus minimizing flame and fume emissions. Systems Group’s Leica scanners will be making their return to the booth. With this technology, the company can accurately capture a ‘snapshot’ of a facility, generating a 3D point cloud that can accurately pull measurements and generate a new project. The model contains pipe sizes, service tags, structural supports, and more. Systems can use this to generate a comprehensive bill of material, down to the nut, bolt, and gasket kits needed for installation. This same model is used to create plans and sections, isometrics, and spools. Self-Maintaining Air Cleaner (SMAC) units will also be on show. SMAC was designed specifically for the harsh environment found in and around steel mills. Traditional room filtration involves a bank of HVAC filters that need to be changed on a weekly or even daily basis to ensure the mill’s equipment remains protected from conductive dust. Systems Group claims that SMAC units will not only provide a cleaner area for critical spaces, but also eliminate weekly/daily changing of filters and thereby reduce labour costs. Systems Group will be exhibiting at booth #1329. For further information, log on to ww.tsg.bz

A STAR TURN FOR STAR TOOL For more than 30 years, Star Tool has been an experienced builder of nonwoven covered process rolls, which help metal companies maximize productivity and yield by delivering greater control of the metal and process fluids being employed. Star Tool has developed a solid suite of Industry 4.0 solutions focusing on its strengths: identifying unique customer challenges, vetting the best-value technology solutions, and integrating these into a package tailored for the metallurgical market. Totalvision™, a flexible system for continuous, online monitoring, gauging, and quality control can monitor edge trimming and calculate cut:break ratios, track edge quality, catalogue defects, and help advise on knife changes. Totalvision also has success on long-product hot mills. MANIFEST® AR – from partner, Taqtile – is Star Tool’s patented augmented reality

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(AR) software suite enabling companies to ‘replicate their experts’. MANIFEST enables front-line workers and trade experts to digitalize details of their company’s unique workflows. Once the workflow is ‘authored’ all others can follow the detailed, stepby-step procedure with videos, photos, audio, text, 3D models, PDFs, trouble-shooting routes, and other details. The experts’ processes are permanently recorded and available 24/7. Star Tool is hoping to demonstrate its updated TST.1d: a temporary-use, retina-safe, non-contact, surface cleanliness assessment device. It is claimed that this tool allows companies to monitor the surface cleanliness of a moving sheet for hours at a time to determine its relative cleanliness. Star Tool will be exhibiting at booth #614. For further information, log on to www.startoolanddie.com

April 2022

13/04/2022 11:15:59

AISTECH 2022

ISRA Parsytec – demand for high-grade electrical steel is rapidly increasing ISRA Parsytec has been a leading partner in surface quality inspection for more than 25 years with more than 1000 installed systems worldwide, covering the complete steel and non-ferrous strip processing chain from casting to delivery as well as new fields such as long products. With the company’s new product SURFACE MASTER NeXt Gen, ISRA Parsytec claims that surface inspection will become even more powerful, by introducing the latest ISRA colour camera technology. According to ISRA, with growing electro-mobility, the demand for high-grade electrical steel is rapidly increasing. The combination of the latest 2D inspection technology with colour cameras and 3D laser triangulation inspection technology is hoped to ensure reliable detection of all quality relevant defect types, as well as produce material waviness, which is important to create a compact electrical motor or battery build where the coil as raw material is used. Deep Learning, claims ISRA, has become the most popular approach to developing Artificial Intelligence (AI). For the steel industry, integrated quality rules enable a fully automatic coil release as part of the smart factory. ISRA claims that PEARL, the combination of IVAI – ISRA VISION Artificial Intelligence – and (classic) machine learning

MAINTENANCE-FREE SAFETY SOLUTIONS Gigasense manufactures maintenance-free safety solutions for overload protection, anti-collision protection, force transmitters and more. The company’s products are built to last under the toughest conditions, it is claimed. Gigasense will be showcasing its crane safety monitor, which is designed to give optimal safety in heavy lifting operations for continuous work in the toughest of industries. The CSM is designed for a safety level up to Performance Level d, Category 3 according to SS-EN-ISO 13849-1. The company will also showcase its angle measurement unit, which, as the name suggests, measures the angles of the wire rope or the crane boom and is used together with the Gigasense Crane Safety Monitor, an advanced overload protection system for optimal safety in heavy lifting operations. Gigasense also plans to showcase its anti-collision system, Gigasense II; a microwavebased system for track bound cranes in heavy duty industrial environments. The A- and B- units use different frequencies, different polarization of the microwaves and a ‘fingerprint’ radar reflection, and there is a back-up capacitor in case of power failure. Regarding the future, Gigasense has taken a step closer towards sustainability by developing a corporate social responsibility programme, which it hopes will expand going forward in order to work towards a sustainable future. Gigasense will be exhibiting at booth #304. For further information, log on to www.gigasense.se

enables not only precise classification but also root cause analysis, predictive maintenance and industry 4.0. Tested with long-term partners from the metal industry, PEARL is designed to increase the classification significantly. Looking into the future, the portfolio will be extended by an operator model. ISRA Parsytec will be exhibiting at booth #2241. For further information, log on to www.isravision.com

SAFETY SOLUTIONS FROM ROSS CONTROLS ROSS Controls®, a leader in fluid power safety, designs and manufactures industry-leading hydraulic and pneumatic safety solutions, pneumatic valves, and control panels for harsh environments in the iron and steel industry. Today’s employment trends, supply chain issues, and increased productivity demands can be countered by increased industrial automation that includes safety. According to ROSS, implementing holistic safety practices can result in the reduction of injury to personnel, damage to equipment, an increase in productivity, and an improved bottom line. Some of the solutions ROSS will exhibit include its safe exhaust, cylinder return, load holding, hydraulic machinery safety, hazardous location controls (Certified Solenoid Control SIL-2, SIL-4, ATEX, IECEx, GOST CUTR and NEPSI) and its hydrogen controls. ROSS will also showcase its energy isolation solution (Lockout Tagout): the ROSS L-O-X® valve has been an industry standard for decades in pneumatic manual LOTO applications, the company claims. More recently, ElectroGuardTM was developed as a remote alternative lockout system to isolate hazardous electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic energy for zones, machines, or processes to allow for safe access and reduce downtime.

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AISTECH 2022

GO DIGITAL WITH EMG With more than 75 years of experience with automation solutions for the steel industry, EMG provides its customers with the ‘raw material’ i.e., data, for cost-efficient industrial projects in the transformation from partially automated processes to fully digitalised production chains. EMG solutions – whether quality assurance systems or general automation solutions for strip guiding – are based on the same hardware and software DNA and aim to reduce the total costs of ownership of the user, also with regard to spare parts inventory and serviceability. EMG offers measurement and control systems that are designed to optimise selected process steps, avoid rejects, reduce material costs and, in particular, achieve higher quality. This applies, for example, to the non-contact optical measurement of strip width in all relevant process stages, even with high accuracy requirements.

EMG also offers systems on a more complex technical basis, such as EMG SOLID®, which is a system for online measurement of oil layers on running strips. The application spectrum of EMG SOLID® ranges from the rolling mill, where the initial oiling takes place, to the steel processor or the stamping facility where specific lubrication methods and amounts are applied. EMG IMPOC and EMG SORM 3plus use inductive and laser-optical methods to measure the material properties’ tensile strength and yield strength on the one hand and roughness values (Ra and Rpc) on the other. All these values are the key quality indicators required to set up production processes downstream to achieve maximum output. In addition, EMG eMASS® (electromagnetic strip stablilisation system) is a solution that is now used worldwide in production plants for the hot-dip galvanising process and for optimising the zinc or aluminium coating of the produced product. The latter is completed by EMG eBACS, a solution for edge mask control in the hot dip galvanising process using inductive edge sensors. The result, EMG claims, is a damage-free optimisation of the coating at the strip edges. According to the company, the end result of using these two systems is an opportunity to reduce zinc consumption and increase coating quality simultaneously. EMG will be exhibiting at booth #953. For further information, log on to www.emg-automation.com

TENOVA

The company recently introduced e L-O-X®, an electrical manual LOTO solution for less complex applications. ROSS contributes to many global safety standards and can be a resource regarding standards requirements, risk assessment, and remediation. The company provides training and specification development, and assists with overall safety compliance of machinery and personnel. Located in Michigan (USA), ROSS also has facilities in Germany, Japan, China, France, India, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom. ROSS will be exhibiting at booth #2214.

Tenova is a worldwide partner for sustainable, innovative and reliable solutions in the metals and mining industries, and will be at booth #1422, where the company will be featuring their iron and steelmaking technologies. Tenova is also an active participant at the AISTech technical conference with 10 different presentations covering numerous important topics: from the decarbonization of the steel industry, with a focus on DRI technologies and the reduction of emissions (NOx and melt shop emissions), to the evolution in electrical steel strip and burners for reheating, and to the digital solutions for roll texturing. From DRI to EAF, reheating furnaces to heat treatment furnaces, cold mills to processing lines and roll grinders, Tenova technologies aim to save energy, decarbonize steel production and reduce environmental impact. Tenova headquarters are located in Castellanza (Italy), with a global presence across 19 countries, and is present in the US market with its company Tenova Inc. (Pittsburgh). For further information, log on to www.tenova.com

For further information, log on to www.rosscontrols.com

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April 2022

13/04/2022 11:16:59

AISTECH 2022

FIVES TO SHOWCASE ITS RANGE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

25 YEARS OF COJET® TECHNOLOGY

Fives, an international engineering group, will be showcasing a range of process expertise, advanced technologies and digital solutions for steelmakers at booth #1127. Fives’ developments include: Non-Oxidizing Wet Flash Cooling® This technology aims to allow steelmakers to produce Gen3 advanced high strength steel coated directly in the hot dip galvanizing lines instead of bringing it into continuous annealing and coating it afterwards. The technology is compatible with other coated steel products at similar or better productivity, and is also, according to Fives, environmentally responsible as it reduces liquid waste and energy consumption. Unique features include controllable cooling performance: up to 1,000 °C/s, control of key process parameters such as cooling rates and strip final temperatures, stable and quality production, strip crosswise temperature uniformity, and strip flatness. CELES EcoTransFlux™ This solution is designed to overcome the annealing process challenge for new automotive steel grades (AHSS and UHSS), as well as silicon steel grades. CELES EcoTransFlux™ heats magnetic and non-magnetic steel at extremely high speeds, up to 400°C/s, to temperatures above 900°c at superior efficiencies. Fives claims that it replaces the need to extend gas-fired heating furnaces to achieve the same, which results in a significant reduction of NOx and CO2 emissions. Eyeron™ It is claimed that Eyeron provides full traceability of all process steps and quality events from the melt shop through the cold rolling and processing lines, using all available process data to qualify products automatically, delivering product qualification and certification in real time. SmartLine SmartLine is a fully automatic strip processing line control solution that uses predictive modelling to optimize process and production management, and according to Fives, allows steelmakers to face process and quality challenges, such as multiple sources of incoming hot rolled coils, a complex final product range, from mild steel to UHSS, advanced annealing cycles and complex product transitions.

Linde, a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, will be exhibiting at booth #1935. This year the company is celebrating 25 years of COJET® technology which claims to have lowered costs and improved productivity of electric arc furnaces (EAF) via chemical energy. Linde also developed OPTIFIRE™ oxyfuel combustion technology, which is applied to reheat furnaces and ladle preheaters to help increase efficiency. Linde supplies industrial gases, technologies, and services to integrated mills, mini-mills, and stainless steel plants worldwide. These gases include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and hydrogen. Linde is especially excited to showcase its support of decarbonisation, as the company aims to help companies get on the path towards zero carbon. Linde can assist steel customers to decarbonize in the following ways: CO2 capture and sequestration from DRI plants and blast furnaces; production and use of syngas from low-carbon fuels, such as plastics and municipal solid waste; with oxy-fuel combustion in steel reheating, sintering, and blast furnaces; and in the supply of no or low carbon hydrogen. According to the company, Linde Green™ hydrogen is certified to have a carbon intensity that is 40% to 100% lower than hydrogen produced through conventional steam methane reforming. The company’s team will be available to discuss their offerings in more detail. Linde will also be presenting a series of papers at the conference where you can learn more about some of these decarbonization methods.

For further information, log on to www.fivesgroup.com

For further information, log on to www.lindeus.com/steel

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AISTECH 2022

GUNNING ROBOTS

FOR IMPROVED

HOT REPAIR of EAF, Ladle, RH

Visit us at AISTECH Booth 509

BSE’S HOLISTIC SAFETY CONCEPT Badische Stahl Engineering (BSE) provides technology – proven and tested in its sister company’s melt shop in Germany, Badische Stahlwerk GmbH (BSW), where the company produces over 2.2Mt of steel every single year, with a focus on productivity, and safety. The holistic safety concept includes hardware solutions geared towards the safety of operators around the melt shop. The latest addition to this concept is the SandMan, installed in January 2021 at BSW, a leading electric steelmaking facility in Germany. According to BSE, the manipulator for ladle sand filling, not only allows for a safe and ergonomical operation, but also ensures process safety and a high opening rate. In 2020, BSE added the TapHoleManipulator to its portfolio, which includes clearing, cleaning and setting functions within the taphole channel, with designs to reduce working area hazards. As the company believes the future around the taphole should be manless, BSE also developed an EBT-SandMan that aims to fill and monitor the taphole reliably. In terms of efficiency, BSE operates the first tiltable Virtual Lance Burner system in the world. This system, according to the company, has already achieved top results with regard to performance and maintenance. BSE is looking forward to meeting their customers at booth #722! For further information, log on to www.bse-kehl.de

April 2022

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VELCO GmbH Haberstraße 40 42551 Velbert (Germany) April 2022 info@velco.de • www.velco.de Tel +49 (20 51) 20 87-0 13/04/2022 11:18:37

SIGN UP TODAY TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE COPY Furnaces International brings readers a selection of technical features focusing on all aspects of the international furnaces market, as well as industry news, investments, and the latest products and projects Published quarterly in a digital format, Furnaces International and the new monthly newsletter, are sent to the inbox of over 25,000 industry professionals. As publishers of Aluminium International Today, Steel Times International and Glass International, we are able to compile this knowledge and bring you the latest developments on: • Energy Eﬃciency • Hot Repairs

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PROCESS CONTROL

Hatch’s holistic optimization approach In a constantly changing world, the steel industry needs to find innovative and effective solutions to keep on top of the big challenges, such as decarbonization, production efficiency and the need to expand the range of products on offer. Using advanced analytics and optimization technologies, Hatch Ltd has developed Hatch Optimizer. By Yael Valdez-Navarro*, Nooshin Nekoiemehr*, Shuhong Sheng* and Yale Zhang* THE steel industry is constantly undergoing change. Exceptionally competitive market conditions and ever-tightening environmental regulations are pushing the industry to find innovative and effective solutions to tackle their main challenges [1]. These challenges include: • A substantial increase in market volume, the versatility of applications and properties of steel, which have created a need to expand the range of products on the market. • Minimizing costs of manufacturing and energy. • Enhancing production efficiency – be it through new technological developments in automation or tools to identify better utilization of existing equipment’s capacities.

• Environmental considerations, mainly through the reduction of carbon emissions and the optimization of energy intensive processing stages. To maintain a competitive position in today’s global market, steelmakers need to develop the best operations strategy to produce greener steel products, reduce raw materials, energy and operational costs, and at the same time meet their clients’ quality and in-time delivery requirements. The combination of these objectives results in a complex business problem, which involves different levels of production planning and scheduling decisions along the steelmaking value chain. This has created a large demand from the steel industry to develop innovative solutions using the

latest advanced analytics and optimization technologies. Optimization technologies are based on solid operations research theory, in which decision variables are identified and adjusted in such a way that the optimal solution defined by one or multiple objective functions is achieved given specified restrictions, for example, production yield, metallurgical reaction, raw material availability, equipment capacity, product quality and so on. Although optimization has been widely applied in the steel industry [2], we realized many of the technologies struggle to both achieve the expected return on investment, as well as contribute to a company’s bottom line profitability. The reasons are: (1) Steel production is divided into

Fig1. Hatch Optimizer’s design view to present both structural and behavioral attributes of a production system

* Hatch Ltd., 2800 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5K 2R7. Email: yale.zhang@hatch.com www.steeltimesint.com

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PROCESS CONTROL

multiple independent operation units, such as ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting and finishing operations. These units normally run independently without sharing too much information. Most optimization engagements are focused on equipment utilization, production cost or campaign planning strategies for specific operational units. Isolated planning and scheduling without a holistic view of the entire steelmaking value chain often lead to conflicting priorities, negatively impacting upstream or downstream performance, and eventually losing the global optimum. (2) Many companies don’t have any efficient decision optimization system in place to integrate real-time data, analyze the data, and respond to market changes quickly. Many of them are still at the level of using Excel files to manage data and make monthly planning or daily operational decisions. This causes many unavoidable issues: manual data entry with inconsistent/ inaccurate numbers, time-consuming scenario analysis, and lack of support of intelligent and advanced optimization algorithms to find the best decision. At Hatch we clearly see a growing need for the development of an advanced optimization solution, not only computationally efficient to solve holistic value chain optimization problems, but also intuitive enough to formulate value chain models in an efficient way, integrate various sources of data, and provide rich and user-friendly functions for scenario management, analysis, and comparison. Hatch is seeking to bridge this gap through its innovative steel production planning and scheduling solution, supported by our powerful in-house optimization platform, Hatch Optimizer, in the backend. In this paper, Hatch Optimizer is introduced together with its two applications in the steel industry, which demonstrate our holistic optimization approach, powerful implementation capabilities and the development flexibility of the Hatch Optimizer platform. Hatch Optimizer Hatch optimizer is a no-code, advanced production planning and scheduling application, which streamlines the optimization modeling and solving processes for complex industrial operations. It is designed based on the principle that adoption of this application won’t be limited only to the resources with April 2022

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deep domain expertise in development of complex mathematical optimization models. As illustrated in Fig. 1, we use a general modeling paradigm for the representation of planning and scheduling systems, which is based on physical layout, process or workflows, and related operational characteristics and rules to communicate both structural and behavioural attributes of a production system. Taking steel downstream operations as an example, it will be a very quick task to use Hatch Optimizer to visually construct a value chain model that may include multiple pickling lines, cold mills, coating and painting lines. Mixing and matching In Hatch Optimizer, each behaviour of the decision-making problem is represented by predefined sets of mixed integer linear/ non-linear formulations embedded within visualized components. It makes the optimization modeling exercise as easy as mixing and matching the right components with the right parameter settings. Users have the ability to configure wide ranges of constraints within the optimization platform, such as the ones associated with batch versus continuous processes, blending and splitting operations, inventory management, metallurgical reactions, and transportation dispatching rules. The modeling structure applied in Hatch Optimizer incorporates a comprehensive data structure, enabling the use of this application across different industries and scheduling cycles (static, dynamic, or even real-time) with minimal adjustments. This flexible modeling approach can be applied to model capacitated problems with connectivity and compatibility constraints with time windows. Its flexibility allows it to cover various entities of the value chain for different industries like mining and metals, energy or infrastructure in a single platform. From an end-user’s perspective, Hatch Optimizer is a fully parameterized application for easy model maintenance. In most cases, Hatch Optimizer is deployed as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution to support various decision optimization applications. However, other deployment options can also be tailored to meet clients’ specific requirements if needed. In the following sections, Hatch Optimizer is demonstrated through two real-world case studies in the steel industry.

CASE STUDY 1: STAINLESS STEEL MELT SHOP VALUE CHAIN OPTIMIZATION

A typical stainless steel melt shop process is illustrated in Fig.2. An electric arc furnace (EAF) is used to produce a molten steel charge from a mix of raw materials including carbon steel scrap, stainless steel scrap, alloys, fluxes and oxygen gas. The melt is then decarburized in an argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) converter or a vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) converter (not shown in the figure), followed by a ladle treatment station (LTS) for refinement of steel chemical compositions and temperature. Our recent studies showed that the production cost of certain stainless steel grades could vary significantly, ranging from 100 to 150 $/t, which indicates a significant cost saving opportunity. Such a large cost variation is attributed to multiple factors such as raw material availability, EAF and AOD charging practice and operation conditions. However, this is not an easy problem to solve, as multiple decisions along the above value chain need to be made simultaneously by considering different market demand and supply conditions. For example, what raw materials and quantity are required when the scrap market conditions (price or availability) are changed? Or what is the best charge rate at EAF, AOD or LTS when the product portfolio in the order book is changed? These questions cannot be answered correctly if we don’t have a holistic view on the end-to-end melt shop value chain. Based on our 65 years of iron and steelmaking experiences, Hatch has developed a stainless steel melt shop value chain optimization solution, which is capable of simulating the process behaviour of the entire value chain to support various what-if analyses and recommending the most cost-effective raw material procurement and mix

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PROCESS CONTROL

Fig 2. Typical stainless steel melt shop process

strategy for all steel grades within a given production planning horizon. It aims to optimize the overall profitability while respecting metallurgical process mass and energy balance, raw material availability, product quality, equipment capacity and utilization, and other site-specific process and logistical constraints. The key features and functions of this solution are listed in Fig.3. Process mass and energy balance models are crucial to the accuracy of optimization results. Within our models, first-principle mass balance is based on elemental partitioning into different output streams such as steel, slag, dust and off gas, where up to 25 chemical elements are considered. The energy balance model calculates required electric energy, by performing an energy balance considering system enthalpy change, reaction energy and process heat losses. An advanced analytical approach has

been developed to calibrate all process model parameters based on historical operational data. The model parameters are further fine-tuned and verified with Hatch’s expert knowledge to ensure accuracy. Because of these attributes, the model is able to compute mass rates, chemical compositions, as well as electricity,

oxygen and argon consumption with a small margin of error at ±5%. An example result of AOD oxygen injection is illustrated in Fig. 4. Carbon emission models are also incorporated into the solution to calculate Scope 1, 2 and 3 (Category 1 and 3 only) emissions for the entire meltshop value chain. By introducing an internal carbon price, carbon emission cost is integrated into the overall profit optimization framework so that users can balance production cost and carbon emissions in order to make the right decisions. This solution has been applied for several case studies and our preliminary benefit analysis showed users can achieve a cost saving of 4-10 $/t once it is implemented online and that it provides real-time support in business and operational decision-making processes.

Fig. 4. Measured versus model predicted AOD oxygen injection (data removed for conﬁdentiality purposes)

Fig. 3. Key features of stainless steel melt shop value chain optimization

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PROCESS CONTROL

CASE STUDY 2: DOWNSTREAM PRODUCTION PLANNING AND COIL SCHEDULING OPTIMIZATION

Downstream steel production planning and coil scheduling is a complex problem, which involves a large number of orders/ coils, multiple process lines and many products associated with different possible production routes. As previously mentioned, many steelmakers rely on Excel files to manage production planning and coil sequencing manually, generating production schedules based on availability of coils in front of the process lines without considering the downstream value chain as a whole complete system. This planning and scheduling approach led to many inefficiencies, such as split customer orders, lower equipment utilization, higher volume of WIP, as well as undesired grade/ gauge transitions. To address the above issues, Hatch has developed a downstream production planning and coil scheduling solution using the Hatch Optimizer. For this specific case study, the optimization scope considers a set of products, each having multiple different production routes through the following processing lines

as illustrated in Fig.5: one hot strip mill, three pickling lines, one cold mill, two coating lines and two temper mills. The main objective of this solution is to implement a holistic view of the downstream operations, and generate the optimal daily production plan over a multi-week horizon with suggested coil sequences (grouped by orders) to maximize early order fulfilment and minimize split customer orders, subject to various groups of constraints: • Production rate • Inventory capacity • Possible production routes per product • Availability of processing lines • Scheduling rules at each individual processing line, for example, gauge/width variance, prohibited grade transition for welding and sequence-dependent downtimes. Each order was described by the following features: a unique identifier, production routes, width, gauge, grade,

chemical treatment, surface finish, order quantities and due date. This information is utilized to map an order to different types of ‘coil groups’, which dictate how an order should be processed at each processing line. Hatch Optimizer leverages REST API to integrate with different services such as a client’s ERP system to receive all order and inventory information. The purpose of incorporating the scheduling rules of each processing line is for the model to generate ‘dispatchable’ schedules. A ‘dispatchable’ schedule implies the order list given by the optimization output is feasible to be processed together within a day. This information allows the model to intersect the planning and scheduling layers. The implementation of this overarching model will translate to increased production efficiency and equipment utilization, mainly through the coordination across all processing lines, successfully managing inventories, and following an optimal production plan. This solution has been tested with several industry data sets and demonstrated very promising results, including a substantial increase of equipment utilization, number of split customer orders reduced to zero, orderto-fulfillment time improved by 1.4 days on average, and grade/gauge transitions reduced by 10-15%. The combination of these results led to a greater production efficiency.

Fig 5. Downstream steel coil production system

Conclusions The steel industry is facing major challenges and requires adaptation in innovative ways to strengthen its global competitiveness. A major contributor to this effort is digital transformation that leverages disruptive technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and decision optimization. Hatch has positioned itself to develop all-encompassing advanced analytics April 2022

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and optimization solutions, which can be used individually or in conjunction to drive towards the next level of decisionmaking, with a holistic view on end-toend steel value chain. We’d appreciate more collaborative development partnerships to continue the journey of digital transformation and make these technologies a powerful contributor to improve production planning and scheduling decisions for the steel industry. �

References [1] S. Kumar, N. Ghildayal, and C. Ostor, “A systems approach in examining optimization opportunities and dynamics of the global steel industry,” Information Knowledge Systems Management, vol. 7, pp. 401–427, 2008. [2] Patrick A.P. Carter, “Planning and Scheduling Optimization in Integrated Steel Production,” McMaster University, Hamilton, 2015. www.steeltimesint.com

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ELECTRIC STEELMAKING

Reducing energy waste in EAFs On average, every tonne of steel produced in 2020 led to the emission of 1.851 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. In that year, 1.86 billion tonnes of steel were produced, and total direct emissions from the sector were approximately 2.6 billion tonnes, representing between 7% and 9% of global man-made CO2 emissions. By Peter Unwin* THESE astounding figures from the World Steel Association reveal that the global steel industry currently faces a huge decarbonisation challenge, driven by more stringent carbon emission regulations, growing customer demand for carbonfriendly steel products, and increasing investor interest in sustainability. The cost is not purely environmental; according to a McKinsey report, approximately 14% of global steel companies’ potential value is at risk if they are unable to decrease their environmental impact, making decarbonisation a high priority. There is no single solution to carbon reduction in steelmaking; several changes to existing practices can each make a significant contribution to decarbonisation in the industry. One such change is to move from using a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) to an electric arc furnace (EAF) route for steelmaking. In an EAF, steel is produced from recycled scrap and direct-reduced iron (DRI). The need for high-quality scrap may limit the use of EAFs and increase costs. However, mixing lower-quality scrap with DRI is a cost-effective option, while DRI alone generates less carbon dioxide than integrated methods. In addition, the EAF can, potentially, be used with hydrogen fuel for nearly emission-free steel production. How the EAF operates The EAF uses vertical graphite electrodes to melt the iron and scrap via electric current. Metal is added, the lid is closed, and an arc is created between the electrodes. A huge amount of power is used by the process, so it is often scheduled to operate during times of low energy demand. Limestone flux is added and then a ladle

vessel is positioned underneath, before a hole in the base of the furnace opens, and the molten steel exits into the ladle. The hole closes when slag is detected or when the ladle is full.

The steelmaking steps for an EAF are: • Charging scrap metal, iron and limestone. • Lowering the electrodes, melting the metal with electric current.

* Global industry manager – metals, Ametek Land www.steeltimesint.com

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ELECTRIC STEELMAKING

Technologies to prevent slag carryover Early methods for preventing slag carryover included visual observation, using a ceramic dart to reduce slag flow, and utilising a circular induction coil. However, each of these methods has drawbacks for safety, reliability, and/or efficiency. Thermal imaging cameras were introduced to improve the process two decades ago, and offer cost and repeatability benefits. Since steel and slag have different emissivities, a thermal image of the tapping stream, displayed in a control room, will enable operators to recognise the change in brightness very easily and detect when slag begins to appear.

• Oxidation. • De-slagging. • Adding new fluxes for the reducing stage to eliminate sulphur and oxide absorption. • Tapping. • Lining maintenance to eliminate molten steel break-outs from excessive lining depletion. Molten steel is tapped at regular intervals. Accurate temperature monitoring ensures steel quality is consistent and improves process efficiency. While it seems that the steps are straightforward, detecting slag and keeping it from degrading the steel is both an art and a science, and the detection methodology has evolved significantly over time. Slag carryover Regardless of furnace type, a molten liquid melt of silicates and oxides – known as slag – is produced during the separation of molten steel from the impurities that are found in iron ore and scrap metal. The slag solidifies upon cooling, and April 2022

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needs to be removed, as its impurities degrade steel. For example, slag will pull phosphorous from iron and, if not removed, the phosphorus reverts back into the steel, lowering its quality. The disadvantages of slag carryover in the EAF are exactly the same as those in the BOF: longer processing time, high inclusion formation and steel cleanliness challenges, difficulty in ladle desulphurisation, caster nozzle clogging, and ladle refractory wear. Substantial wear and tear Slag also causes substantial wear and tear on the vessels involved. Its removal can require huge effort and expense on the part of steel producers. Molten steel is tapped from the EAF vessels into transfer ladles for further refinement of the steel and it is important to prevent slag carryover during this tapping process, by stopping when slag begins to exit along with the steel. Recent advances in detection now mean that slag can be more reliably and effectively managed.

Good results The early devices were all long-wavelength thermal imagers with an 8-14 μm response. The results were good, as the emissivity between steel and slag is accentuated by the long wavelengths. However, there was still fume obscuration, and the optical materials used were not sufficiently durable for the harsh environment, requiring frequent protective window or lens replacements. Mid-wavelength thermal imagers offered several new possibilities. A thermal imager working at a more narrow, 3.9 μm waveband can see through hot CO2 and hot water vapour. This shorter waveband also enabled the use of more practical optical systems using, for example, sapphire protection windows which offer good transmission characteristics from ultraviolet to approximately 5.5 μm in the infrared alongside high durability and chemical resistance. Hot water vapour or steam and hot CO2 appear in large quantities in the atmosphere around the tapping stream, each having characteristic absorption lines at different wavelengths. When these lines are combined on the same graph, images from an infrared camera with a spectral response around 3.9 μm are much clearer than those of a camera with a spectral response of 8 to 14 μm. A specially designed solution These capabilities are built into the AMETEK Land Slag Detection System (SDS), which delivers improved yields, higher-quality steel, and reduces costly downstream processing for EAF steelmaking operations. www.steeltimesint.com

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ELECTRIC STEELMAKING

that may occur as the pour takes place, only measuring from the area identified as the stream. This reduces any errors caused by background heat sources in the field of view. As well as detecting slag while tapping steel, the SDS can detect steel as it appears during the de-slagging operation. Depending on each location this can sometimes be achieved with the same camera but if not possible then a second camera may be required. The improved image quality, with a larger field of view, is a benefit to the operator for judging when the transfer ladle is full of liquid steel. This enables the tapping operation yield to be optimised and reduces the risk of molten metal spillage. In locations where the camera cannot view the ladle freeboard, a second camera can be provided and the image included on the same operator’s monitor using standard IMAGEPro software to provide regions of interest with alarms.

It is specially designed to withstand the harsh conditions of continuous operation in a steel plant, with minimal maintenance requirements. The AMETEK Land SDS has an industrial thermal imaging sensor, housed in a rugged, water-cooled and air-purged enclosure, that continuously views the tapping area. As the tap begins, dedicated software automatically records it, producing a log and graph of the relevant steel and slag data. The high-resolution thermal imaging camera detects the transition between steel and slag, reducing ‘blackouts’ caused by smoke and fumes. Real-time data enables the operator to make informed decisions about the tapping process. When the slag reaches a pre-determined level, an alarm is generated to stop the tap. Full access to the tapping data is available to the operator for quality control purposes. By warning the operator in a dependable, repeatable and timely manner to stop the tap before slag is carried over, the SDS improves production yields and ensures a lower slag content, improving the steel’s www.steeltimesint.com

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quality. This also reduces energy costs further along the process and lowers the overall maintenance on the furnace vessel. Using an SDS has been shown to improve operator response time and consistency at the end of each tap. This results in a typical reduction in slag depths of up to 25%, compared to traditional methods for monitoring slag. Greater detail The new SDS camera has a resolution of almost 300,000 individually calibrated temperature measurement points, providing much greater detail in the image. Combined with the clarity of view through the smoke, this offers a much-improved performance compared with other cameras. In addition, new IMAGEPro-SDS application software provides improved images for the operator with the additional capability to automatically track the pouring stream within the field of view (Fig 3). When viewing the stream from an acute angle, its position will change during the different phases of the tap and the software accurately tracks any movement

Signiﬁcant investment Switching to an EAF for steel production is not an immediate panacea for achieving decarbonisation. It is a significant capital investment that also places an increased draw on the electric grid supply. Nonetheless, as decarbonisation gathers momentum, the electric furnace route is likely to become the preferred choice for steelmaking around the world. According to McKinsey and Co, an approach combining scrap, DRI, and EAF using hydrogen fuel is currently considered the most viable, long-term solution to achieving carbon-neutral steel production, especially in Europe. Efﬁcient and productive By making EAF steelmaking more efficient and productive, AMETEK Land’s SDS thermal imaging system helps to mitigate the operating costs of the EAF in steelmaking, protecting the investment in this growing decarbonisation technology. Seeing through most of the smoke, it provides a reliable and effective method of detecting slag during tapping, and can be used to detect steel in slag during the deslagging operation. It uses non-contact infrared technology with no wearing parts or consumables, and lowers operating costs by reducing slag levels and improving tapping yield, together with generating savings on additions during steel refinement. � April 2022

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ANSWER

Danieli Answers to be a step ahead

Danieli CARBON-FREE benchmark technology From BF route, to hot DRI directly charged into the Danieli Digimelter

Metallurgical results obtained from DRI+DDM (Danieli Digimelter electric steelmaking) equal those obtained with the blast furnace+converter process, for quality clean steel for demanding applications, including exposed automotive parts. Considering the lower CO2 release of the DRI+DDM process, 800 vs. 1,800 kgCO2/tls for the BF+BOF, the DR+DDM route offers the most environmentally friendly solution to couple with the international and particularly European emission regulations (COP 21), which are becoming stricter and more expensive (carbon tax is 57 Euro/t of CO2 as at August 2021). The 800 kgCO2/tls result is obtained thanks to the Energiron DR process technology developed by Tenova HYL and Danieli, and Danieli Digimelter.

Sustainability CO2 reduction 4.0 intelligent plant MIDA ECR QSP DUE Digimelter Energiron DRI Long-life BF

European customers are requesting feasibility studies for Energiron technology combined with Danieli Digimelter via Hytemp hot charging as a replacement for the ironmaking process.

ANIEL

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08.

09. Quality slab casters 10. Pickling and cold mills 11. Galvanizing / Air knives 12. Billet casters 13. Billet welders 14. Wirerod mills 15. Rail and section mills 16. The Drawer sizing block 17. Reheating systems 18. Seamless tubes 19. Extrusion lines 20. Aluminium mills

GRE

Twenty Danieli answers to be a step ahead

danieli.com

Furthermore, the Energiron Zero Reformer technology development allows the use of up to 70% hydrogen as a reduction agent, instead of 100% natural gas, without compromising the DRI quality and allowing liquid steel production with CO2 emissions down to 324 kgCO2/tls.

EN E M

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26/08/21 09:02

ANSWER

Danieli Answers to be a step ahead

Danieli CARBON-FREE benchmark technology From BF route, to hot DRI directly charged into the Danieli Digimelter

Sustainability CO2 reduction 4.0 intelligent plant MIDA ECR QSP DUE Digimelter Energiron DRI Long-life BF

European customers are requesting feasibility studies for Energiron technology combined with Danieli Digimelter via Hytemp hot charging as a replacement for the ironmaking process.

ANIEL

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08.

GRE

Twenty Danieli answers to be a step ahead

danieli.com

EN E M

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26/08/21 09:02

DECARBONIZATION

Two steps towards net zero carbon?

Today the iron and steel industry is the second largest global industrial CO2 emitter. Direct reduction using low-carbon hydrogen is the most promising solution to achieve that target of climate neutrality. However, the iron ore grade and availability will require the development of new solutions for the ﬁnal reduction, melting and reﬁning of lower grade direct reduced iron. A two-step process combining a smelter with a BOF converter can handle such lower grade ores and is predestined for implementation in existing integrated plants. By Gerald Wimmer1, Johannes Rosner, Alexander Fleischanderl THE iron and steel industry is the second largest global industrial CO2 emitter, responsible for 7-9% of global CO2 emissions. This is mainly driven by the high CO2 emissions generated during iron making via blast furnace steelmaking (BF), which is still the dominant production route today. However, steel is a very sustainable material with a long lifetime and is easy

to recycle as scrap charged to an electric arc furnace (EAF). In this production route, the CO2 emissions are much lower – and depend mainly on the power grid emission factor. Unfortunately, there is not enough scrap available to satisfy the demand for iron and steel. Therefore, iron ore will remain the dominating raw material even with a long-term perspective. The two

most promising strategies for such iron ore-based production with moderate to low CO2 emissions are either BF combined with carbon capture and usage or storage (CCUS) or direct reduction (DR), using natural gas in a transition period and green hydrogen as soon as scaled and feasible, see Fig.1. With such hydrogen-based DR, the CO2 emissions can be reduced by

Fig 1. CO2 emission of typical steel production routes; integrated route using blast furnace (top line) is generating almost 2 tons of CO2 per ton of steel produced, scrap-based steelmaking or direct reduction using hydrogen (center and bottom line) generate much lower CO2 emissions [1].

1. Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH, Turmstrasse 44, 4031 Linz, Austria. Corresponding author: gerald.wimmer@primetals.com April 2022

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DECARBONIZATION

One-step process

Process

Slag

Two-step process

EAF

Smelter

BOF Converter

In the EAF ﬁnal reduction of the DRI,

In the Smelter only reduction

All reﬁning work in the two-step process is done

Melting of the DRI and reﬁning to crude steel will be done.

and melting is done.

in the BOF converter.

Foaming slag is required for stable EAF operation

The smelter can operate with low slag

Typical BOF slag composition with high basicity of 3,6

and hence slag basicity of 1,6 to 1,8 is required.

basicity of approx. 1,0. Hence, only

This will result in high slag amount for low grade DRI

moderate additions of lime and dolomite required.

with high gangue content. Slag usage

Yield

Due to low Si content of melt coming from the Smelter total slag amount is rather low (6o-80kg/t).

Only minor application known for such slag,

Slag from Smelter is very similar to BF slag and

Typical usage of BOF slags, higher P content might

worst case landﬁlling of the slag is required.

after granulation this slag will be used in cement industry.

also allow extended use as fertilizer.

The high slag amount in combination with

The reducing atmosphere in the furnace and the

High FeO content of the slag bu low slag amount

high FeO content of teh slag will result in

long settling time will ensure low Fe and FeO content

will result in reasonable good yield for the BOF

high Fe losses via the slag and

of the slag. Consequently, the yield of the Smelter

and high yield for the two-step process.

consequently low yield.

is very high.

Table 1. Comparison of one-step process with two-step process combining Smelter and BOF converter

Fig 2. Typical iron and gangue content of seaborn iron ores in 2017 [4] – high grade

Fig 3. Total costs for one- and two-step process for a low (62% Fe) and a high grade

ores will be can be used in DR - EAF routes while lower grades ores will require a

(67% Fe) ore, for the one-step process different DRI rates considered; comparison

two-step process combining a Smelter for melting and reduction with a BOF

shows that for high grade ores one-step process is preferred while for lower grades

converter for reﬁning

two-step process is economically more attractive

about 90% compared to the BF route that dominates production today. It shall be noted that for metallurgical purposes, some carbon is still required in future DR routes, but carbon from renewable sources (such as bio-char) might be applied. Transition of the iron and steel industry from BF-dominated production to DR also requires a detailed evaluation of iron ore availability. Typical iron ores used for BF operation today are not well-suited for processing in a DR plant and subsequently an EAF due to the high slag amount generated. New two-step processes combining a smelter and a Basic Oxygen (BOF) converter might be required instead. Two-step process using low grade ores Optimization of existing production routes ensure a primary step in CO2 reduction. www.steeltimesint.com

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The level of reduction that can be achieved depends, of course, on the initial emission level, but typically ranges between 20% to 30%. This is an important ﬁrst step but is not sufﬁcient to meet climate targets. Consequently, a change of the BF as we know it today is required. Beside CCUS solutions that can be implemented at the BF, DR is today the most promising alternative to BF-based iron production with much lower CO2 emissions. DR plants today use a shaft in which iron ore pellets are reduced by a reducing gas; nowadays natural gas is used for reduction, in future low-carbon hydrogen will be employed. After this reduction step, the direct reduced iron (DRI) is directly fed to an EAF or briquetted for shipping and later used in a wide range of applications (BF, BOF, EAF).

For profitable operation of an EAF, high grade DRI with a low gangue content is preferred. This keeps the amount of slag in the EAF process low and ensures low electric power and flux consumption, less iron losses and consequently a better yield. High-grade ores for production of high grade DRI are limited, and the majority of global seaborne ores is of a lower grade; well suited for BF operation (see Fig.2) In this figure, the typical gangue content of the ores is also shown, which is over double the content of lower grade ores. Higher gangue content will result in higher flux consumption in the EAF for high slag basicity and proper slag foaming. This explains well the increased amount of slag in an EAF operated with lower grade material and the increased operation costs for the EAF [5, 6]. April 2022

13/04/2022 06:55:10

DECARBONIZATION

cost impact of lower DRI but higher scrap rates for two different scrap prices is also shown in the diagram above, main ﬁndings and conclusions remain the same.

Fig 4. Transformation of an existing integrated plant (top line) towards green steelmaking, Blast Furnace is replaced by direct reduction plant operated with low grade ore and feeding a two-step process (center line) or raw material base is switched to high grade ores and the BOF converter shop is replaced by an EAF (bottom line)

For processing DRI produced from low grade ores, a two-step process is proposed. In the first step, only melting and final reduction is done in a smelter, while all the metallurgical work and refining is performed in a separate unit, typically a BOF converter – which is the second step. Splitting the process in two steps allows in the first process step an efficient separation of metal and slag as well as generating a slag suitable for the cement industry as today’s granulated BF slag. A detailed comparison between the two-step process and an EAF is shown in Table 1. The two-step process requires operation of two units, both contributing to the operating costs. This disadvantage compared to a one-step process using an EAF, needs to be compensated by the processing of lower grade ores at lower costs. Process and cost calculations for oneand two-step processes for two different grades of iron ore have been performed. Costs are shown in Fig.3 separately for the metallic charges, mainly DRI plus some scrap, as well as the transformation costs, most important electric power, fluxes and gases; the actual European price base was used for these calculations (high grade DRI 300€/t, low grade DRI 247€/t, electric power 80€/MWh, scrap 330€/t – 354€/t, lime 70€/t, dolomite 75€/t, coal 70€/t). The comparison shows that by improving the ore grade, transformation costs are lowered as consumption figures also decrease. Costs for DRI show an opposite trend as lower grade ores are cheaper than higher grade ores. For the EAF the trend of the transformation costs dominates due to the high sensitivity of the EAF operation on April 2022

Primetals Wimmer.indd 3

the slag amount. This trend is well reﬂected by the actual market – all plants known today using an EAF rely on high grade DRI and accept the DRI premium that has to be paid for such charging material. The smelter is less sensitive in this regard, and therefore the decreasing costs for DRI dominate. Total costs for a smelter are favourable if DRI produced from low grade ores is used. Due to these trends, a range of low grade ores that are best processed in a two-step process, and a range of higher grades that are better suited for an EAF both exist. The total scrap rate in the two-step process is limited as the smelter cannot process scrap and the BOF converter has limited energy for scrap melting due to the low carbon in the melt tapped from the smelter. The EAF is, of course, more ﬂexible and can handle a wide range of DRI rates –

Transformation of existing integrated plants – implementation of smelter The two-step process is especially attractive for existing integrated plants as the unit for the second process step, the BOF converter, already exists. Hence, only minor adaptations in the converter steel plant will be required. Most relevant is the adaption of the blowing scheme of the BOF converter due to the lower carbon and silicon level of the melt arriving from the smelter compared to a BF-based hot metal. This results in a reduced blowing time, but also a lower scrap rate in converter operation. Other important topics like logistics, cycle times, casting sequences as well as process certiﬁcation and quality control are not impacted, facilitating the implementation of a new two-step process such as this one, in an existing integrated plant. The two most likely scenarios for transformation of existing integrated plants towards green steelmaking are shown in Fig.4, together with the reduced CO2 emissions, which can be achieved. Some plants will stay with the low grade raw material base used today and will invest in a two-step process while other plants will get long-term supply agreements for high grade ores and will switch to EAF operation. To allow for a higher scrap rate in the two-step process an additional unit for scrap melting, such as an EAF or an induction furnace, might be installed, see

Fig 5. Primetals Technologies Smelter is designed to allow for a wide range of input materials such as DRI pellets, briquetted DRI but also recycling materials. Off gas is either recovered or fully thermal used

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13/04/2022 06:55:21

DECARBONIZATION

Fig.4 for an example of the latter. Smelter design Primetals Technologies’ smelter design is modular and flexible to allow for a wide range of input materials. First references will most likely work with pellets reduced in a shaft but in the long run other alternative routes, like fines processing via a HYFOR, a Finored plant or briquetted low-grade DRI produced in another region could be of interest. The smelter features a reducing atmosphere, and a gas-tight operation, and is, therefore, also well positioned to recycle iron and iron oxide containing by-products like dust, mill scale or slags. In the design and test phase, all these potential input materials are considered, see Fig.5 for an overview. The reducing atmosphere in the smelter allows customers to adjust the carbon level of the metal produced to ensure its fit to the subsequent BOF operation. The carbon additions required depend on the carbon content and the metallization degree of the DRI charged to the smelter and will be higher if hydrogen-based DRI with a very low carbon content is charged. The basicity of the slag in the smelter and its treatment are adjusted to ensure a high glass content during granulation. This will optimize its application for the cement industry. Primetals Technologies’ proven wet granulation systems are planned to be used in the first stages, with the option of using a dry slag granulation system (DSG) afterwards. The effective reduction in the smelter combined with the long setting time ensures the low iron and iron oxide content of the slag which results in a high yield even if the slag amount is very high. This slag composition ensures reasonable high electric resistance and that a smelter operation with pure resistance heating is possible. To push productivity and melting of a hard-to-melt charging materials operation with a short arc, so-called brush arc mode, can be utilized. This withstanding, the total power input per electrode, as well as the specific power input in relation to bath surface, is much lower than in a classical EAF. A rectangular furnace design with up to 36m x 14m inner dimensions and six-in-line electrodes is used to achieve annual capacities of up to 1.5Mt of DRI charged to the smelter. For higher capacities, parallel operation of several smelters is possible, for example, one DR

Fig 6. DR shaft feeding a rectangular Smelter with 6-in-line electrodes, total capacity around 1,5 million tons of DRI per year. Tapping of the metal is done into torpedo cars for transport to the steel plant

plant feeding two smelters. As an example, a combination of a smelter with a DR shaft is shown in Fig.6. Connection of both plants is done with a proven hot transport system. Tapping of the metal is done in torpedo cars, meaning that existing infrastructure can be used for the transport and handling of the melt in the steel plant. Conclusion Reduction of CO2 emissions in the steel sector is essential and many producers have announced their pathway towards net-zero carbon. DR using low-carbon hydrogen seems to be a promising alternative achieving much lower emissions than today’s BFs. But on the raw material side, the importance of iron ore needs to be considered, and data show that the majority of the ores today are of lower grade and hence, a two-step process is required. This process combines a smelter for melting and reduction with a BOF converter for the reﬁning work and is, therefore, predestined for implementation into existing integrated plants. Primetals Technologies’ smelter is designed to handle a wide range of input materials such as pellets, ﬁnes, briquetted DRI as well as byproducts. �

References [1] Fleischanderl A., The Challenges of the Steel Industry – Leaving Carbon Behind, CUUTE, The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, 2021 [2] Wimmer G. et al. Increase of scrap rate in converter steelmaking, CSST 2018 [3] Choi H.S. et al. Increased Scrap Rate at the BOF Process by the Application of Hot Air Post Combustion – PS-BOP Project, The 6th China-Korea Joint Symposium on Advanced Steel Technology, China, 2014 [4] CRU, Long-term Iron Ore Market outlook, 2017 [5] www.missionpossiblepartnership.org, Net-Zero Steel – Sector Transition Strategy, MPP, 2021 [6] www.rolandberger.com, The future of steelmaking, Roland Berger, 2021.

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13/04/2022 06:55:31

LIGHTENING THE IMPACT OF HEAVY INDUSTRY

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13/01/2022 09:20

PLANT SAFETY

Working at height Steel Safety Day takes place on 28 April and this year will focus on working from height, a top cause of the most serious safety incidents in the steel industry for at least the past 10 years. By Andrew Purvis* 28 APRIL is Steel Safety Day. Coinciding with the International Labour Organization’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Steel Safety Day was set up in 2014 to reinforce awareness of the five most common causes of serious safety incidents around the world and to create a safer working environment across the entire steel industry worldwide. Every year, worldsteel assigns a focus theme based on these top five causes: (1) machinery safety, (2) working at heights, (3) falling objects, (4) on-site traffic and (5) process safety incidents. In the last two years we have focussed on process safety, and moving machinery, providing resources, material and advice to support steelmakers in managing and reducing their safety risks in these areas. Given that falling from heights has been the top cause of the most serious safety incidents in our industry for at least the last 10 years, this year’s focus is working at heights. What is work at height, and why is it important? Work at height sometimes is not quite as simple as it sounds. ‘Working at height’ probably brings to mind the now famous image of US construction workers sitting together in a row on a precariously high girder (Fig 1), or in a more modern context, perhaps roof work, construction and

overhead crane maintenance, but in reality ‘work at height’ doesn’t need to be carried out adjacent to a precipice. While the median lethal distance for falls is four storeys (or around 15 metres), it is perfectly possible to fall as little as two metres and suffer a fatal or life-changing injury. The legal classification of work at height can also vary depending on where you are. In some jurisdictions it might be defined in reference to a specific height above the ground or surface from which work is being carried out, or by a general statement that makes no reference to a specific height. A practical way to think about ‘work at height’ is that if a person conducting an activity can fall, and potentially be injured, then that activity should be considered work at height. This can include falling from, through or even into something, even at or below ground level. Work at height is important as it has been a leading cause of serious safety incidents in our industry for over a decade. The WHO estimates that 684,000 fatal falls occur each year, but working at height can be managed safely if approached correctly, and all work at height incidents are preventable. How should we manage work at height? Employees and contractors who will be working at heights should have sufficient knowledge and experience. If they are being trained, they should be supervised by a competent employee. The level of

competence that is required will depend upon the activity and the equipment or machinery being used. When planning work at height tasks, there are some key factors that should be considered to enable sensible decisions and to help control the risk of a fall or accident: weather conditions, safe access and working area, falling objects or debris, stored objects and materials, sources of other energies (electrical, chemical, etc.), and emergency procedures. Pay special attention to contractors, who are disproportionately seriously injured by working at height incidents. Working at height can be extremely dangerous, even with control measures in place. There are risks that must be considered depending on the type of equipment or control measure used to manage the risk: mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) risks, scaffolding and scaffolding towers, and other aspects of the work and site, such as roof work, fragile surfaces, leaning ladders and step ladders, overhead and ground obstacles, and powerlines. Finally, like any safety risk, work at height should be managed using the hierarchy of controls (Fig 2). Elimination: There are significant measures that can be implemented to eliminate the need to work at height, including installing services at ground level, using extendable or telescopic tools from ground level, and assembling equipment at ground level before installation in the

* Director, sustainable manufacturing, worldsteel www.steeltimesint.com

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April 2022

13/04/2022 06:57:20

PLANT SAFETY

Fig 1. Lunch atop a skyscraper – Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

working area. Substitute with a less hazardous process, operation, or equipment. This may include using safe areas of work to complete the task, such as a ﬂat roof with a guardrail installed or a non-fragile roof. Engineering controls: Within the use of engineering controls, protection should be prioritised towards those that protect all workers, such as MEWPS, scaffolds and tower scaffolds in the first instance. Engineering controls that protect individual workers, such as work restraint devices or safety nets may also be considered. Finally, engineering controls that minimise the distance or consequence of a potential fall, such as the use of harnesses with fall arrest systems, safety nets (which catch falling persons, objects or debris) or soft-landing systems such as air bags or cushioning systems should be used. Administrative arrangements including training: Work at height should be managed through the implementation of safety rules (at its simplest risk level) through to detailed safe systems and permits to work. It is important that workers are effectively trained to understand the risks of working at height and in the use of the control measures to manage the risks. Effective management monitoring and supervision should also supplement control measures to ensure that they are being properly used. April 2022

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Personal protective equipment: PPE such as harnesses for work restraint or fall arrest should form the final option in relation to the control of the risks of working at height and then only in conjunction with other control measures. Hard hats, to limit the damage to workers from falling objects, may be appropriate. Doubling up to create capacity: Organisations with capacity expect and plan for work not to be executed as planned and ensure that even if (and when) errors are made or conditions change, deviations do

not lead to serious safety incidents. It is possible to create capacity with regard to working at height risks by doubling up personal or group PPE as well as other controls. For example, if harnesses and anchors are used to manage a risk, organisations can choose to also install nets to mitigate the risk that harnesses are used incorrectly or fail. Steel Safety Day 2022 This year, worldsteel is partnering with fall protectional specialist 3M to deliver

Fig 2. Working at height should be managed using a hierarchy of controls

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13/04/2022 06:57:32

PLANT SAFETY

Fig 3. There are a number of online ‘steelTalks’ delivered by worldsteel and 3M throughout the year

a programme of activities to support steelmakers in the elimination of serious incidents. Throughout the year we will be presenting a series of online ‘steelTalks’ – these focused presentations will be delivered by worldsteel and 3M and hosted by steeluniversity, worldsteel’s learning and training programme (Fig 3). The webinar overview can be download here: https://worldsteel.org/wp-content/ uploads/Steel-Safety-Day-2022-webinars. pdf. These presentations are open to all steelmakers, worldsteel members and nonmembers alike, and we would welcome your participation. Together we can make falling from height a thing of the past. � For further information on the steelTalks programme please contact safety@worldsteel.org, or visit https://worldsteel.org/steel-by-topic/safety-and-health/steel-safety-day/

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Personal Chemistry

April 2022

13/04/2022 06:57:49

PERSPECTIVES Q&A: BUMAX

Small company, huge potential BUMAX is a specialist manufacturer of premium high-strength fasteners manufacturered from a range of stainless steel materials. The company achieved excellent sales in 2021, increasing turnover by 18%. With global reach and a traditional focus on Western European markets, the company has a number of exciting steel industry opportunities in the pipeline and is confident the business will experience strong growth in the short-to-medium term, says Lars Holm* 1. How are things going at BUMAX? We achieved excellent sales in 2021, with an 18% increase in turnover despite a number of challenges related to the pandemic. Our production is running at maximum capacity to keep up with the continued strong demand for our products. Given the new customer projects we currently have in the pipeline and indications regarding ongoing business from our existing customer base, we anticipate strong growth to continue through 2022. 2. What is your view on the current state of the global steel industry? Global economic activity continues to recover and we expect this to increase demand on the steel industry as a whole over the coming year. 3. In which sector of the steel industry does BUMAX mostly conduct its business? BUMAX is a specialist manufacturer of premium high-strength fasteners in a range of stainless steel materials. We manufacture a wide product range of various different fastener types, nuts and washers in grades such as 316L, duplex, super-duplex and several additional more special purpose grades. Our fasteners often go well beyond standard in terms of high strength and corrosion resistance, for example, and are designed to cope with the most demanding fastener applications. 4. Where in the world are you busiest at present? BUMAX has a global reach, with a traditional focus on Western European markets. Industry in the region is resilient and demand for BUMAX products has been

maintained. Other high potential regions are: the USA, Asia, Australia and parts of the Middle East. We already benefit from significant business within these markets; however we plan to further develop these geographical regions. 5. Can you discuss any major steel contracts? We have a number of exciting opportunities in the pipeline and often share our news on our website (www.bumax-fasteners.com) and our company LinkedIn page.

Lars Holm

6. Where does BUMAX stand on the aluminium versus steel argument? I don’t believe there is really an aluminium versus steel argument. There is, however, an argument for utilizing the best material for a given application – whether that be an aluminium, steel or stainless-steel material. Traditionally, the construction and manufacturing industries have been

overly reliant on carbon steel for use in many applications, almost by default. However, with advances in materials and manufacturing technologies, we are seeing greater use of aluminium and stainlesssteel materials for different industries and applications. 7. What are your views on Industry 4.0 and steelmaking? Our recent machinery investments and our long-term investment plan for equipment and production logistics will enable us to take steps toward Industry 4.0, particularly in terms of machine connectivity and robotics. 8. Hydrogen steelmaking. What’s your view? Hydrogen is an interesting prospect with the potential to significantly improve efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of steel production. Figures suggest that the steel industry is responsible for approximately 4% of all carbon emissions in Europe. Any potentially viable technology that can help to reduce this impact deserves due consideration. However, there also appears to be significant challenges still to overcome, including modernizing/replacing existing steel production plants, developing hydrogen production on a scale that ensures ample, steady and commercially viable supply and also producing sufficient electricity via renewable energy sources to support the production of hydrogen. 9. How quickly has the steel industry responded to ‘green politics’ in terms of making the production process more environmentally friendly and are they succeeding or fighting a losing battle?

* Managing director, BUMAX April 2022

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www.steeltimesint.com

13/04/2022 06:59:08

PERSPECTIVES Q&A: BUMAX

The way we see things at BUMAX, this is not just a political argument – there is significant potential to make real changes that benefit us not only environmentally, but also reducing production costs through greater efficiency. We make a conscious effort to identify how and where we can contribute to this process – from raw materials and our manufacturing processes, to product innovation and identifying sustainability challenges where our products can benefit society. In terms of ‘fighting a losing battle’, I don’t believe this is a battle that any of us can afford to lose. 10. Where does BUMAX lead the field in terms of stainless steel product development? BUMAX is a premium brand product that is innovation-driven. We are working to develop a number of exciting product lines, new technology and opportunities specifically in several industries, such as construction, marine and industrial engineering applications. One of the most recent additions to the BUMAX high strength product family is BUMAX® NITRO 109, which is designed for achieving both excellent corrosion resistance in marine environments as well as delivering high strength, equivalent to 10.9 at large diameters – up to M36! 11. How do you view the development of BUMAX in the shortto-medium term? We are extremely confident in the growth of our business over the short-to-medium term. We are expecting to outperform the industry. BUMAX is a relatively small player, but we are fortunate to be part of Sweden’s BUFAB Group and this offers us additional capabilities to utilize the power and resources of the wider group. 12. China is accountable for almost half of global steel production. How should the industry react? We only source raw materials for BUMAX products from premium European sources, so we have little experience of dealing with Chinese steel producers. 13. Where do you see most innovation in terms of production technologies? We see plenty of opportunities downstream, when it comes to the development of finished products. We www.steeltimesint.com

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invest heavily in advancing our production capabilities and we constantly monitor the latest developments in production machinery and processing capability. Many of the BUMAX ranges are unique and have been developed in house. 14. How optimistic are you for the global steel industry going forward and what challenges face global producers in the short-to-medium term? There will always be a healthy demand for steel products, so I don’t believe that this will be an issue for most of the industry. However, the industry faces several

challenges in the coming years that may ultimately determine the future make-up of the steel industry. There is growing pressure in construction and industry to consider how steel products are used and how they can be manufactured more efficiently. This is where alternative materials such as stainless steel and aluminium are a more attractive proposition in certain applications. Efficient production methods and sustainable practices will continue to be an ever-increasing topic of importance and companies will need to take this seriously in order to stay ahead of the game. 15. What exhibitions and conferences will BUMAX be attending over the next six months? Many of the exhibitions that BUMAX will be attending this year will be focused on our key industry sectors where we find many of our traditional customer base. We have plans in place to exhibit at several exhibitions throughout Europe in industry sectors such as marine, offshore, renewable and nuclear energy, industrial process

equipment and fasteners. 16. BUMAX is headquartered in Sweden but what’s happening steelwise in the country? The BUMAX manufacturing facility is situated in central Sweden’s historic steel belt, and the company has its roots in the 1800s. Sweden continues to have a thriving steel industry and is driving the transition toward more very low-carbon steel. 17. Apart from strong coffee, what keeps you awake at night? Keeping up with demand for BUMAX products is a challenge in the current

marketplace, and we expect this to continue at least in the short term. It is also important that we grow in the right markets that will help our development in the future. Of course, we have supply chain issues, increased steel prices and even shortages of auxiliary materials and supplies. All businesses face these challenges at the moment – what differentiates us is our flexibility, adaptability and agility as a small company with a great culture. 18. If you possessed a superpower, how would you use it to improve the global steel industry? I would make steel carbon neutral and completely sustainable. I believe this will happen in the future and great progress has already been made in Sweden with ‘green steel’ manufactured from 100% renewable fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. With regards to stainless steel specifically, it is, of course, highly recyclable and retains much of its original physical properties in the process. � April 2022

13/04/2022 06:59:43

HISTORY

The Pioneering Life of Peter Kirk – A Book Review – Part 2: US trials Reviewed by Tim Smith* WITH much trouble, Kirk secured a location for his new iron mill, eventually, on the shores of Lake Washington. Named the Moss Bay Iron & Steel Co of America, shares were held locally by both US investors and by Kirk’s Moss Bay company in England. Two abortive attempts to locate the mill, first near the ore deposits at Cle-Elu, Tacoma district, and later near the coal deposits at Sallal Prairie, Seattle district, had met intense opposition due to fierce rivalry between the two towns. The Washington site was in Seattle district. Three rail syndicates fought for the right to build lines to transport raw materials, the North Pacific Railroad winning the contract to connect the coal fields to the main line using Kirk’s rail and couplings, the link enabling export of excess coal via San Francisco. Kirk planned the 120-acre ironworks with an initial capacity of 312kt/yr, just half of the capacity to be built at first, replicating that later. The layout was to copy the English Workington works with four large blast furnaces each 75 feet high with a capacity of 1,500 tons of pig iron a week. The cost was estimated at $300,000 ($8.9 million today). In 1888, the town of Kirkland was established to supply a workforce for the planned mill. A branch line of the SLS&E railway served the town. As a result of a fire that destroyed Seattle’s business district in 1889, investment in the planned mill dried up. No financial help was available from Moss Bay Ltd in England as they were busy investing locally in coal mines and ports. In 1890, the directors dissolved the Moss Bay Iron & Steel Co of America and incorporated a new company called the Great Western Iron & Steel Co backed by US interests. Kirk was appointed manager of operations with a salary of US$5,000 ($148,000 in 2021). In 1891, equipment and refractory bricks for the blast furnaces and coke ovens were

‘The Pioneering Life of Peter Kirk – From Derbyshire to the Paciﬁc Northwest’ By Saundra Middleton, 382 pages, Index, 195 source references, Notes and illustrations Pub ‘Genetically Inclined’, Anchorage, Alaska 2021 ISBN 978-1-09837-0916 (paperback US$19.95) ISBN 978-1-09837-092-3 (eBook US$ 4.99)

imported from England and the US east by ship, including two steam-powered blowing engines, Bessemer converters and cupolas. 5,600 tons was stockpiled ready for construction to begin. A visit by President Harrison lead to a $500,000 appropriations bill to build a ship canal between Lake Washington and the coast at Salmon Bay. This would reduce transport costs for Kirkland’s industries, aiding Kirk’s dream of an industrial complex around the lake which included a brick works, sawmill, roof shingle plant and a woollen mill. But Harrison was not re-elected and the subsequent administration was far less enthusiastic for ‘Kirkland’s Ditch’ as locals called it. When work on building the mill ceased for the winter of 1892 it was never thought that it would not resume. This was because a depression hit the USA with

banks failing, 20% of railroads going into receivership and unemployment rocketing. In May 1894, the Great Western Iron & Steel Company and its land assets were in default by $50,000. To pay this, much of the mill plant and equipment was sold off to the Philadelphia Engineering Works who shipped it to Hamilton, Canada. Kirk had not received his salary during the period of construction inactivity so accepted stock in what remained of the company instead. To make matters worse, the directors of the Moss Bay Co in Cumbria, which itself was in ﬁnancial trouble, sued him for advances made by them towards setting up the US enterprise and sold off their US holdings in the mines. In 1893, creditors demanded the remaining mill assets forcing what remained

*Consulting editor, Steel Times International and a member of the Historical Metallurgy Society April 2022

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HISTORY 69

of the company into bankruptcy. Fortunately, Mary-Ann, Kirk’s wife, had inherited wealth through properties owned in England which supported the family through these lean years. Despite the loss of the steel mill, the sawmill, shingle and woollen mills remained active. Kirk embarked on new adventures. A ferry service across Lake Washington and – well before his time – he invented a machine for casting steel direct to bar or billet using centrifugal force – evidently a forerunner of continuous casting not achieved until the 1950s! However, the patent was never registered. With the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 passing through Seattle, Kirk turned his inventive mind towards designing a machine to improve hydraulic dredging to recover gold, which he also hoped could dig the aborted Seattle ship canal. He also patented a combined ore roaster and smelter for the recovery of precious metals and entered into an agreement for its development with the Phoenix Reduction Company of Arizona, the latter being responsible to raise all funds for its construction, while Kirk accepted company stock and payment as a consultant. The smelter was built in Arizona and a railroad connection established, but after two-years the smelter had not started up and the company failed. This proved to be the last technical enterprise Peter Kirk undertook. He returned to Kirkland where he proﬁted selling timber from his estate and leasing out land for sheep farming. In 1901, his dream of a ship canal to link Lake Washington to the west coast at Puget Sound commenced and was completed 10 years later. Eight miles (13km) of canal link Lake Washington via Lake Union, Portage Bay and Union Bay to Puget Sound. Kirk lived on through various family turmoils and happy events until his death at 76 on 4 May 1916. His obituary sums up his character including: ‘He was modest and of a rather retiring disposition, bore adversity bravely and enjoyed propriety quietly’. Today, Kirkland is a thriving community of some 92,000 inhabitants in King County, Washington State. �

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