Aperam Stainless Belgium has contracted SMS group to supply an annealing and pickling line for stainless steel cold strip to its Genk plant in Belgium. Production start is scheduled for 2020. With this investment in state-of-the-art and future-oriented plant technology, Aperam will enlarge its product range by material grades for the most demanding applications and improve lead time and flexibility to meet the market demand. It will further increase efficiency and cost competitiveness of its plants and continuously enhance the impacts on health, safety and environment.

The line will stand out due to its high degree of automation and resource-saving processes and will be equipped, in addition to a horizontal Drever annealing furnace and a multi-stage pickling section, with a four-high skin-pass mill stand and a side trimmer. The new annealing and pickling line will be the fourth one SMS group is going to install at Aperam’s Genk site.

Besides mechanical equipment, process technology, furnace technology, electrical and automation systems, the scope of supply will also include technical support during installation and commissioning. The line will process both austenitic and ferritic grades.