The NIFO project reached its final milestone when the construction of the new pickling line was completed at the Krefeld cold rolling plant in Germany. The project moves now to ramp-up phase with the aim of reaching stable operations and quality.
NIFO (Nirosta Ferrite Optimization) project is part of a Group-wide programme for Outokumpu to expand the production of ferritic stainless steels in Krefeld. With the ferrite optimization Outokumpu transfers the current production from the Düsseldorf-Benrath cold rolling plant to Krefeld.
The NIFO investment consisted of four initiatives to expand and enhance the production capabilities in Krefeld: erection of a new pickling and bright annealing line, construction of a new batch annealing facility and several upgrade measures at the cold rolling and skinpass mills.
As a final step in the production line installations, the first coil left the new pickling line in the presence of around 70 invited guests and employees recently. âWe have reached the first important milestones in NIFO in the form of the first coils. Next in the ramp-up phase we will focus on reaching the planned volumes with good safety, quality and speed. With our professional team and equipment, Iâm sure we will make it happen,â? says Robert Sträíer, head of Krefeld Operations.
