Tata Steel Nederland’s new sampling line enhances steel offerings for heavy vehicle and energy markets
Tata Steel Nederland has expanded its Hot Strip Mill in IJmuiden with a sampling line. This line is unique in its kind and enables rapid testing of steel properties, as well as the inspection and certification of each steel coil. This shortens lead times in both the development of new steel grades and the delivery of steel to customers. This expansion is the latest in a series of investments and strengthens the company’s position in the market for thicker, stronger, and more abrasion-resistant steel.
“Tata Steel is one of the best steel producers in the world, and thanks to our investment programme, we continue to play in the Champions League of the steel industry,” said Tom Eussen, member of the Board of Management of Tata Steel Nederland and Managing Director of Tata Steel IJmuiden. “The new sampling line is a significant investment that allows us to assess the quality of our steel more quickly and deliver to our customers faster.”
“Investments like these enable us to develop new steel grades, such as abrasion-resistant steel, ultra-high-strength steel and linepipe steel,” Eussen continued. “Combined with the opportunity for customers to reduce their scope 3 emissions through Zeremis Carbon Lite and Zeremis Delivered, we continue to strengthen our position in a highly competitive steel market.”
Investments in Hot Strip Mill to better serve customers
In the Hot Strip Mill – a hall approximately 1 kilometre long – slabs of steel 22.5 cm thick and 8 to 12 metres long are heated in a furnace and then rolled out. The steel can be made as thin as 1.5 millimetres here. Afterwards, the steel is cooled and coiled. This process of heating, rolling, and cooling can precisely produce the steel desired by the customer.
The commissioning of the sampling line is the latest in a series of investments in the Hot Strip Mill. These investments are specifically aimed at producing thicker, stronger, and more abrasion-resistant steel. This steel is used in demanding applications such as trucks and trailers, excavators, cranes, mining, and for pipelines for transporting gas, water and hydrogen.
Customers place high demands on the quality of steel. Upon their request and according to international standards, steel properties must be extensively guaranteed through test certificates, per steel coil or small batch. Therefore, rapid sampling and testing are essential.
The sampling line can fully automatically sample the entire production spectrum, from normal to ultra-high-strength steel, with steel thicknesses of up to 25 millimetres that can be cut. Samples are also taken hot, and the capacity of the number of coils that can be sampled has thus substantially increased. The sampling line is unique in its kind and, combined with the recent investments in the Hot Strip Mill, unlocks a world of opportunities for Tata Steel and customers.