North Star BlueScope Steel selects SMS group for supply of new single-strand continuous caster
North Star BlueScope Steel, located in Delta, Ohio, U.S.A., has selected SMS group as the supplier for its new single-strand thin-slab continuous caster. The new casting machine will have a thickness range of 95 to 110 millimeters and a width range of 900 to 1,595 millimeters. It will allow North Start BlueScope Steel to increase thin-slab production from 2.2 million metric tons (2.4 million short tons) to over 3.3 million metric tons (3.6 million short tons) per year.
The modifications performed by SMS group to the existing casting strand - supplied by another manufacturer - and the ongoing maintenance of this equipment over the last decade differentiated SMS group for the supply of the new casting equipment. SMS group also developed a convincing, cost-efficient design that allows the new casting equipment to be interchangeable with the existing casting strand.
The scope of supply includes the complete cast floor equipment, including the ladle turret, the mold and the vertical-bending containment zone, and a pendulum shear to cut the strand into slabs.
To digitalize the casting process, SMS group is going to supply a range of innovative technology packages. The new casting machine will be equipped with X-Pact® Width Control, X-Pact® Solid Control that includes width-dependent air-mist secondary cooling and solidification control, Level 2 X-Pact® Cast Optimizer and the HD moldTC mold monitoring system.
SMS digital will supply the SMS Data Factory digitalization package. The existing infrastructure will allow for immediate capability of data-driven Business Intelligence at the caster, allowing the caster data to be incorporated for ongoing enhancements in quality, production, and asset cost reductions.
The anticipated start-up of the new casting strand is set for 2021.
North Star BlueScope is owned by BlueScope, a leading international supplier of steel products and building solutions found in the global building and construction industry based in Melbourne, Australia. North Star BlueScope has relied on SMS group‘s cutting edge innovations and know-how for many years. This order marks the next step in a successful cooperation between both companies.
SMS group is a group of companies internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering for the steel and nonferrous metals industry. It has some 14,000 employees who generate worldwide sales of more than EUR 2.8 billion. The sole owner of the holding company SMS GmbH is the Familie Weiss Foundation.
