London, July 21, 2020

Primetals Technologies receives FAC for plate mill automation systems and services from Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co., Ltd.

• First plate mill project implemented independently by Primetals Technologies China
• 3800mm plate mill with the largest design capacity and state of the art automation in China
• 140,000t of monthly production achieved within half year after successful start-up

Primetals Technologies has received the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for the 3800mm PM automation systems and services from Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co., Ltd. For the 3800mm PM project Minmetals Yingkou installed a two-stand thick plate mill, which can produce 1.5 million tons per year of steel plates with the thicknesses of 6 to 100 mm and widths between 1,400 mm and 3,600 mm. The whole line consists of a reheating furnace, a roughing mill, a finishing mill, a pre-leveler, a plate-cooling system, a hot leveler, a cooling bed, a crop shear, a double side shear, a dividing shear, grinding stands, a cold leveler, and product collecting tables. Its automation systems were engineered and commissioned by Primetals Technologies.

Primetals Technologies was responsible for the engineering, supply and commissioning of the L1 and L2 automation systems. The scope of supply also included the related electrical and automation equipment. Primetals Technologies provided the advanced AGC technology, and roll bending and shifting for profile control. The application of the process models and automation systems from Primetals Technologies makes the line the 3800mm PM with the largest design capacity and state of the art automation in China. In addition, Primetals Technologies handled the supervision of the installation and the staff training.

The on-site supervision for the installation of the automation systems was started on Jul. 01, 2019. On Oct. 30, 2019, the slabs, after descaled with high-pressure water, were rolled in the 4-high roughing mill and 4-high finishing, and then straightened in the hot leveler and finally transferred to the cooling bed. The hot commissioning was successful from the first run.

Despite the influence of the epidemic in the critical phase of the hot commissioning, Primetals Technologies worked closely with the customer and put into operation the Smart Crown system and produced the plates with thicknesses of 6 mm and 7 mm successfully by implementing creatively the remote service for L2 system. With the joint efforts of both parties for the schedule optimization the line reaches up to 140,000t of monthly production within half a year after the successful start-up.

Located in Laobian District of Yingkou which is a coastal city of Bohai Bay and Liaodong Gulf, backed by a city belt of central Liaoning province, and close to Yingkou (Bayuquan) Port in the west, Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co., Ltd. is a key local steel company that produces steel plates for more than three decades. It is a share-holding company under the relative control of Minmetals Development Co., Ltd., and its shares are also held by Rizhao Steel Holding Group. Minmetals Yingkou is an integrated iron and steel producer covering sintering, pelletizing, ironmaking, iron casting, steelmaking, continuous casting, rolling and power generation.

 3800mm PM (plate mill) at Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co., Ltd. in China. Primetals Technologies was responsible for the engineering, supply and commissioning of the L1 and L2 automation systems.

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.