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SSAB Details Expansion Plans for Quenched and Tempered Plate
Feb. 11, 2010 SSAB announced plans to move ahead with construction of a new advanced line for quenched and tempered steel plate in Mobile, Ala.
The new Mobile quench and temper line is a part of a major investment program the company announced in August 2008. Since the original announcement — when the company said the line would be implemented either in Montpelier or Mobile — SSAB decided to place the line in Mobile and downgrade its annual capacity from the originally announced 300,000 tonnes to approximately 200,000 tonnes.
“The investment represents an important part of our strategy to be the global leader in quenched steels,” said CEO Olof Faxander.
“We are broadening our product and service offering for the North American domestic market and creating conditions for meeting the needs of SSAB’s global customers,” added David Britten, Head of SSAB Americas.
SSAB said it has also decided construct a finishing line at its plate center in Kunshan, China, which was inaugurated in 2007 and operates warehouses and equipment for processing steel. The new finishing line, which is currently under construction, will be able to handle additional deliveries of semi-finished plate from Mobile and Oxelösund.
“The Kunshan investment will result in greater flexibility, shorter lead times, and enable us to provide an improved offering to our customers”, said Martin Pei, Head of SSAB APAC.
Together, the Mobile and Kunshan investments total SEK 2.2 billion (approximately US$ 300 million).
The company expects its new quenching line in Mobile to be in production during the first half of 2012. A new vacuum tank degasser (VTD) system that is also being built as part of the project is expected to be completed during the first half of 2011, and the finishing line in Kunshan will start up in the first half of 2011.
The company is also working to establish a quenching line for quenched strip steel at the company’s facility in Borlänge, Sweden.
SSAB, a global leader in value-added, high strength steel, offers products developed in close cooperation with its customers to reach a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world. The company employs 8700 people in over 45 countries around the world and operates production facilities in Sweden and the US.