Poland's WBB invests in higher-margin, high-strength plate production
Walcownia Blach Batory (WBB) is investing PLN 70 million ($18.8m) into technology that enables the production of high-strength plate without the need for heat treatment. This will significantly reduce energy consumption and therefore increase margins, the subsidiary of Weglokoks says.
The new unit is scheduled for commissioning by end-2027. The firm has started assembling equipment for the new primary and secondary descaling unit, as well as the accelerated cooling equipment, Kallanish notes.
The project, funded by Poland’s state Reprivatisation Fund, will expand WBB’s range of plate with increased hardness. It will also improve energy efficiency and reduce cost thanks to the use of accelerated, controlled cooling after rolling, which dispenses with the need to use a quenching and tempering system.
"For Walcownia Blach Batory, this is an investment of very practical importance. We're not just talking about modernising our equipment, but also about entering the segment of products with higher added value. We want to produce plate with increased hardness more efficiently, utilising the heat of the rolling process and a modern control system. This allows us to offer our customers a durable, high-quality, and competitively priced product, especially for the machinery industry,” says WBB chief executive Tomasz Langier.
Following the installation of the descaling machine and accelerated cooling equipment, the next step is to add a modern straightening machine, which will allow for straightening plate up to 40mm thick and up to 3,850mm wide. The final stage will be the modernisation of the rolling mill control system and the retrofitting of the production line with modern measuring equipment, including systems for monitoring plate thickness and width.
Other Weglokoks group companies include EAF-based steelmaker Huta Czestochowa, welded pipemaker and mine roadway support producer Huta Labedy, and stockist and fabricator Huta Pokoj. Huta Czestochowa plans to supply WBB with slab feedstock as part of Weglokoks’ recently announced Strategy 2030.
From: Kallanish
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