News

The Ovako group has signed the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) of the modernization project of the rolling mill located in Hällefors, Örebro County, Sweden. The plant has an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of straight and coiled bars and produces special steel bars primarily used in the automotive, mining, and energy sectors, as well as in other manufacturing industries. This investment permits to increase the flexibility and operational sustainability of the rolling mill.

The project, which involved the supply of both mechanical and electrical equipment, primarily consisted of the partial replacement of the existing roughing train with four new Red Ring Series 5 stands arranged in a horizontal/vertical configuration, complete with the main reducers. Additionally, a new in-line pendulum shear was installed for cropping the bar head during rolling and for emergency cutting.

The renowned durability of the Red Ring stands, now in their fifth generation, and the meticulous design of the rolling sequence have improved the quality of the rolled product. The new stands allow operation at lower billet temperatures, promoting a reduced energy consumption and lower CO₂ emissions.

For the effective predictive maintenance, the supply included the PriSense system. Equipped with sensors installed on the equipment, it operates in an Edge Computing architecture which enables the efficient elaboration of data before its transmission to the control system. This elaboration model is part of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) that POMINI Long Rolling Mills integrates into a customized digital environment for its clients.

The supply has been completed with equipment for operational changes, lubrication and hydraulic units, main motors and drives of the rolling stands, integration of the automation into the existing system, and services for the installation and start-up.

Considering it was a modernization project, it was of the utmost importance that the sequence of the required on-site activities be carefully planned and implemented, in order to minimize disruptions to the rolling mill's production and fully adhere to the contractual schedule.

This achievement was made possible through the professionalism of the onsite personnel and the cooperative and fruitful collaboration between Ovako and POMINI Long Rolling Mills, who also coordinated with its partner AIC Automazioni Industriali Capitanio Srl for the supply and commissioning of the electrical and automation part.

Ovako is a leading European manufacturer of engineering steel for customers e.g. in the bearing, transportation and manufacturing industries. With geographical presence in Europe, North America and Asia, and a steel product line that includes niche products and customized solutions, Ovako is contributing to create value for its customers all over the world. Ovako's steel is sustainable because the production process is based on steel scrap and a Nordic low-carbon electricity mix. As a result, the carbon footprint of Ovako’s steel products is a full 80 percent lower than the global average. Ovako is a subsidiary of Sanyo Special Steel, a global market and technology leader in high-quality special steel, and a member of Nippon Steel Corporation group, a leading steel producer in the world.

Red Ring is a registered trademark of POMINI Long Rolling Mills.