China-based Maanshan Iron&Steel Co., Ltd. – Masteel – has started production at its site in Ma'anshan on the new heavy-beam mill supplied by SMS group. With this mill, Masteel is now the only Chinese manufacturer capable of producing beams with a root face thickness of up to 1,100 millimeters and a flange width of 500 millimeters, in addition to beams with a flange thickness of up to 130 millimeters. The weight per meter of the heaviest beam produced on the mill is 1,377 kilograms.

The steel mill, which is located around 300 kilometers west of Shanghai, is designed for an annual production of 800,000 tons and has now added a range of larger steel sections to extend Masteel's production capacity. These include a newly developed special section, which up to now could not be manufactured in this way in a rolling process. As a result, previous downstream process stages are no longer required – leading to a higher production output and reduced costs. What's more, with this new mill the company is turning the spotlight on maximum product quality.

SMS group supplied the engineering and the core components for the plant as part of the contract. Among other things, these included the centerpiece of the plant, the CCS® (Compact Cartridge Stand) tandem rolling mill unit with hydraulic adjustment system and fully automatic quick program change function, as well as the CRS® (Compact Roller Straightener) straightening machine, which features a shifting platform for quick and simultaneous changing of all straightening rollers. Both the CCS® stands and the CRS® straightening machine are the largest of their kind in operation anywhere in the world. SMS group also supplied the CCS® Tandem Millstand Control System (TCS), which enables the process to be controlled in real time while ensuring that the roll gap is automatically zeroed and adjusted after each program change.

Thanks to the close collaboration between Masteel and SMS group, the project was completed successfully, including a fast ramp-up, during which the design capacity was not only reached but exceeded. Consequently, the acceptance (FAC - Final Acceptance Certificate) was granted shortly after. Throughout the project, both companies knew they could rely on each other as long-standing partners. Masteel has been operating a heavy-beam mill from SMS group since 1993, and a CSP® (Compact Strip Production) plant supplied in 2005.

Masteel uses the new heavy-beam mill to make products for the bridge and building construction sector, enabling the implementation of new infrastructure projects in China.