Saarstahl is continuing its modernisation programme with further investments in the rolling mills in Völklingen and Burbach following previous major investment projects such as building the new secondary metallurgy in the steelmaking plant. The CEO of Saarstahl, Dr Karlheinz Blessing, commented on the investments: “With these next phases of investment, we are aiming to strengthen strategically important products for the automotive industry and mechanical engineering branches and to be more flexible in reacting to the market.” Starting 2008, Saarstahl (including Saarschmiede) would have invested around EUR 1.1B on modernisation.
In a meeting on 5 June, the Supervisory Board of Saarstahl AG approved the investments totalling EUR 46M. At the Völklingen site (Nauweiler), the existing blooming stand in the rolling mill will be replaced by a continuous rolling mill (7 rolling stands connected in series). The construction work for this project worth an estimated EUR 30M will take place in summer 2015 while operations are still running.
EUR 16M is being invested in the wire mill in Burbach to extend the existing four rolling stands on the one-strand roughing rolling mill by a further two stands and a shear. The electrical drive technology of the roughing rolling mill will also be renewed. The start of operations is scheduled for summer 2016.
