PERSPECTIVES: CAN-ENG 65
‘Very high demand in all sectors’ Canada-based CAN-ENG’s largest market is in the USA and the company is experiencing very high demand in all sectors where industrial furnaces are concerned, according to president Michael J Klauck. The company is working with Steel Authority of India (SAIL) on one of the most advanced wide plate quench and temper systems of its kind in the world.
1. How are things going at CANENG? Is the steel industry keeping you busy?
thicknesses from 6mm to 100mm and widths up to 3000mm. It is the first system of it’s kind for SAIL.
We are experiencing very high demand in all sectors for industrial furnaces, these include energy, defence, steel, automotive, railways, mining, and consumer goods.
8. In fact, talking of ‘green issues’ and emissions control, how is the steel industry performing in this respect?
2. What is your view on the current state of the global steel industry?
Strong demand exists for value-added finishing operations involving heat treatment. With steel used in increasingly demanding applications, combined with weight reduction, mechanical property improvement through heat treatment is witnessing continued growth.
We have the good fortune to work all over the world, so you can make comparisons between developing economies and western standards, and despite the general conception that environmental standards are lax in places like China and India, this is not always the case. Certainly China is making strides at mothballing older emitting facilities, and much of the Indian steel industry is either run by government, or global companies, that take their environmental responsibilities seriously.
3. In which sector of the steel industry does CAN-ENG mostly conduct its business?
Our focus is on long products, primarily tube, bar, and plate heat treatment. We are seeing strong demand from the open and closed die forging industry for reheating furnaces for ingots, blooms and billets. 4. Where in the world are you busiest at present?
Our largest market is the USA and if US manufacturing was a standalone economy measured on GDP terms, it would rank ahead of the entire GDP of countries like Canada and India. So while US manufacturing employment continues to fall through automation, it still represents an incredibly robust and important market for us. We have new contracts in China, Russia, India, Chile and other markets. 5. Can you discuss any major steel contracts you are working on?
We are building a wide plate quench and temper system for SAIL – Steel Authority of India Ltd. It will be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world when operational in late 2014, and will incorporate all the latest advances in combustion and automation with a highly flexible quench capable of processing plate www.steeltimesint.com
integrated plants (BF + O2 Converter) are using considerable amounts of scrap in the BOF, so the total steel production from scrap origins is even higher. So I think strong arguments can be made that steel is equally “green”.
6. Where do you stand on the aluminium versus steel argument?
There is no doubt that Al offers a number of advantages, but HSLA steels combined with heat treatment can offer weight savings and strength-to-weight ratios that will compete with aluminium on a cost per piece basis. Automotive structures such as door beam intrusions, A-pillars and Bpillars, are now made out of HSLA steels in the 1.5mm to 4mm thickness range and, combined with press quenching technologies, produce parts that are 200,000 psi TS. The steel industry is incredibly resourceful and creative at coming up with both new materials and technologies to meet end-use demands. The role of heat treatment is critical in achieving those mechanical and metallurgical properties. 7. Aluminium is the ‘greener’ than steel. What’s your view?
Steel is highly recyclable, and something like 40% of NA steel production is going the EAF route, which as you know, is entirely based on scrap. Even traditional
9. Are steelmakers looking to companies like CAN-ENG to offer them solutions in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability?
In Europe the cost of electricity and natural gas has historically been higher than in North America. For this reason, the Europeans are very focused on operating costs, or cost of ownership. From the start of the last decade onward, North American firms have been increasingly conscious of utility costs, and are now willing to build in additional capital cost for energy saving technologies with defined payback periods. Specifically, 95% of what we build are fuel-fired systems, and the acceptance of both regenerative and recuperative burner technologies (vs. ambient air), has become more widespread. There are many other developments in furnace configuration, combined with automation and robotic systems, that have eliminated wasteful heating and cooling of trays, baskets, or carriers that increased energy consumption. April 2014