Outokumpu Fagersta Stainless inaugurates modernized rolling mill
Outokumpu Oyj
Press Release
November 7, 2019
Outokumpu has completed a major modernization investment in its Fagersta Stainless mill in Sweden. The investment of 8 million euros enables Fagersta to expand its product portfolio into new high value-added special products, it improves the working environment for the employees and helps to reduce carbon emissions of the mill. The mill was inaugurated today by the Swedish Foreign Trade Minister, Anna Hallberg, Outokumpu’s CEO Roeland Baan and Johan Wiklund, Managing Director, Outokumpu Fagersta Stainless.
"The mill in Fagersta, together with our wire rod mill in Sheffield, makes Outokumpu a leading stainless steel wire rod and wire producer in the world. The investment is part of our vision to become the best value creator in stainless steel industry by 2020 through customer orientation and efficiency," says Outokumpu's CEO Roeland Baan.
In the rolling mill, heated steel billets are rolled to a specific dimension and then sent on for final processing, with outcome of wire in diameter between 5 and 18 mm. Through the new optimized processes heat is retained in the billets and higher rolling temperatures enable lower energy consumption and greater efficiency in the mill.
"Our new rolling mill enables the processing of special products, i.e. different types of alloys which we could not roll in the past. The investment also provides environmental improvements, including reduced gas consumption, resulting in our lower carbon emissions. At the same time, we can decrease our production costs with improved return, which will improve our competitiveness. In addition, we have recruited more production staff to deliver increased production volumes and to further strengthen our capabilities," says Johan Wiklund, Managing Director of Outokumpu Fagersta Stainless.
The installation of the mill was an intensive project
Some 100 contractors and Outokumpu employees were working in the project to construct the rolling mill during the past year.
"This is a notable milestone in Fagersta Stainless' history and it has naturally been gratifying to have been part of the project. I want to thank everyone who have helped and contributed to make this possible. Now our focus is fully on safely utilizing the mill’s full potential and delivering what our customers want," says Johan Wiklund.
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Further information: Jonas Nordlund, Communications Manager, Sweden, Tel. +46 70 088 10 31, jonas.nordlund@outokumpu.com
Outokumpu Oyj
Outokumpu Fagersta Stainless manufactures stainless steel wire rod and wire. Capacity is about 65,000 tons of wire rod annually, of which some 10.000 tons are further processed into wire. Fagersta Stainless has 270 employees and is part of Outokumpu’s Long Products business area.
Outokumpu is a global leader in stainless steel. Our position is based on our ability to customize stainless steel in various forms for almost any purpose. We aim to be the world’s best value creator in the stainless steel industry by 2020 through customer orientation and efficiency. Stainless steel is durable, resistant and designed for permanence. In addition to using stainless steel for the basic structures of society and famous landmarks, our customers use it to manufacture products for both domestic and industrial use. Outokumpu has 10,000 employees in over 30 countries, headquarters in Helsinki, Finland, and shares listed on Helsinki’s Nasdaq.
Published Nov 07, 2019