| Plant 1 went on stream within 20 months | |
| • | Plant 3 was started-up within 15 months and received final acceptance after 22 months |
| • | Production is now focused on hot strip with a thickness of 0.8 millimeters |
Chinese steel producer Rizhao Steel Group Co., Ltd (Rizhao) awarded Primetals Technologies the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for three of a total of five Arvedi ESP lines. For two of the lines, the FACs where received in January, for the third one on April 1. Although the project schedule was very tight, the ambition was to complete all phases on time, what was successfully achieved. The first two lines were ordered in 2013 and went on stream within 20 and 22 months, respectively. The start-up of ESP plant 3, ordered in 2014, was achieved within 15 months. The lines are designed for a total annual production of 7.65 million metric tons of high quality, ultra-thin hot strip, in widths up to 1,600 millimeters and thicknesses down to 0.8 millimeters. The lines produce carbon steel, high-strength, low-alloy grades, and two-phase steels. The production ranging from 0.8 to 6 mm thickness is now focused on hot strip with a thickness of 0.8 millimeters, leading to production sequences in which more than 50 percent of the products have a thickness of less than one millimeter.