Tata Steel plans to build a Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) furnace at its Stocksbridge site in South Yorkshire, UK. The cutting-edge VIM furnace will allow Tata Steel’s Speciality Steels business, which already supplies steel to aircraft engine and airframe makers, to expand its product portfolio further. The company’s speciality steels business will work with German metallurgical technology company SMS Mevac, a major supplier of vacuum steelmaking equipment, to build a VIM facility at Stocksbridge. The GBP 15M furnace is expected to be commissioned early in 2015.
Henrik Adam, chief commercial officer (CMO), Tata Steel, said: “The addition of a VIM furnace to our asset base for aerospace steel production is an exciting prospect. It means we will be able to make more ultra-pure steel for fail-safe, safety-critical applications such as aircraft engines. This initiative enhances our role as a partner for key customers who require highly specialised products. Our ability to support them is an important aspect of our role in the aerospace steels supply chain.”