Editorial

Dear Readers,

First impressions count: just like the equipment we write about, MPT requires an overhaul from time to time. In time for the 2020s to kick-off, we have a new look, and with new look goes a new direction for the content, which has already become increasingly evident in recent years.

Besides hardware – furnaces, rolling mills, coating lines – the role of software has become a decisive factor in steelmaking – in automation, Artificial Intelligence and all that matters in Industry 4.0.

Another dominating megatrend is the obligation for steel to become green and to reduce its harmful impact on the environment, a topic which MPT will be sure to cover in the years to come.

But besides Industry 4.0 and environmental sustainability, another significant issue has arisen out of the blue. The coronavirus and its consequences for lives, daily life, and business life. As MPT goes to press, many public events in Europe are about to be cancelled – entertainment events, sports events and commercial events. It will be worthwhile for all of us to follow the daily news, while MPT gives a first impression of how the steel industry is affected.

And, before I forget: this is also a hello from your friendly new chief editor, Christian Köhl. Colleagues at your company will know me from my work as a correspondent for American Metal Market, Metal Bulletin, the pre-Platts SBB, and from Kallanish Steel over the past twenty years. For nearly as long, I have been familiar with MPT and its significance to the global steel industry. After a team of competent temporary editors compiled the most recent issues of MPT, I am proud to be taking over the managing role at the start of a new decade, and I am looking forward to working with you for the years to come.

Christian Köhl chief editor, MPT International

postponed

20 21 Industry prepares for the hazards of the coronavirus Coronavirus postpones wire+Tube

NEWS

8 People, Places & Companies Fives, HYBRIT, Midrex, thyssenkrupp, and more

10 International Industry African Industries, Liberty Steel, Myanmar, Hebei, Severstal, and more

14 Equipment: Orders & Commissionings Dofasco, Shandong, Al Gharbia Pipe Company, Hoa Phat, and more

18 Calendar of Events ECHT, Hannover Messe, AISTech 2020, VDMA Engineering Summit, and more

BUSINESS & POLITICS

20 Industry remains calm but wary about coronavirus MPT has taken a look at the effect on European plantbuilders

21 Coronavirus postpones wire+Tube The international No 1 trade fair duo for the wire and tube industries – the has been postponed to December

22 Ilva: A healing plan for the Italian Patient ArcelorMittal in the first week of March struck a new agreement with the Italian government

24 Blast furnace closures – Time to idle, time to blow in MPT addresses some of the issues a steelmaker faces when taking a blast furnace out of operation for economic reasons

27 Germany inclines towards DRI Direct-reduced iron (DRI) technology might be the landmark technology on the farther horizon, managers of German mills said at a conference in February

PROFILE / PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

28 Help in times of need SMS group has positioned its service workshop to be flexible and fast

SPECIAL: TUBES 30 Industry outlook: Challenges for the steel tubes and flanges industry Frank Harms, managing director of the German steel tubes federation, comments

32 Interview: „An opportunity and at the same time a massive risk“ Dirk Bissel, the CEO of Vallourec Germany on the state of the industry and on energy issues

53

A thought for the road by worldsteel’s Edwin Bassin

COVER STORY: Now that the wire+Tube fair has been postponed, we decided to keep the tube part of it, with a Special on new products, fabrication, and outlooks from industry executives

34

Tube fabrication: Offshore rigs and wind farms built by Sif Group using plate from Dillinger

34 Fabrication: Pipes don’t come much bigger Offshore rigs and wind farms built by Sif Group using plate from Dillinger

38 New Products Inline quality control for process optimization by Sikora; Combined tube bending for the automotive sector by Schwarze-Robitec; New surface roughness meter at Schoeller Werk; Square and rectangular tubes made with universal set of rolls by Fimi

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

40 Europe: The Green Deal sets ambitious targets for the steel industry By 2050, no new greenhouse gases from Europe should be emitted into the atmosphere. The industry is trying to meet the requirements, but at the same time is sceptical about the possibility of achieving success

42 Opinion: One planet, one mission, one future When it comes to nature and environmental protection, Primetals Technologies has a very clear ambition – here set out by its CEO, Saturo Iijima

INDUSTRY 4.0 / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

44 Application of AI to temperature optimization Smart Steel Technologies (SST) about its SST Temperature Optimization AI, which offers precise temperature models for the whole steelmaking process

47 Noodle.ai and SMS digital launch AI-fueled application for steel The application will help steel companies improve on-spec mechanical properties of advanced steel products to meet highest demands

MILL TECHNOLOGY / STEELMAKING

48 The competitive substitute of conventional minimills Danieli tells about its Micromill- MI.DA-technology in the production of spooled coils and wire rod, rebars and smooth rounds

OPINION

53 A thought for the road worldsteel’s Edwin Bassin on „Making steel in the 2020s“

COLUMNS

3 Editorial

54 In the next issue / Advertisers’ index / Imprint

SHEARS, BALERS AND SHREDDERS 647

ENERGIRON DIRECT REDUCTION PLANTS 38

ELECTRIC ARC FURNACES 259

PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS 710

Danieli Automation automates plants through integrated systems for equipment, process and power control, handling jobs from order placement through product delivery. Event-prediction and problem-solving operator assistance are ensured by the innovative 3Q system.

Danieli Environment offers a full range of proprietary technologies for air pollution control, water treatment, solid waste recovery, noise reduction and energy savings.

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANTS 386

Through planning, complete systems integration and construction with our own heavy lifting equipment, provide our teams with full operational flexibility. Danieli Engineering and Danieli Construction International: your trusted partner with 37 years of experience in on-time project delivery and cost management.

138 TURNKEY PLANTS SUPPLIED WORLWIDE BLAST FURNACE AND CONVERTER PROJECTS 147

SECONDARY METALLURGY STATIONS 405

CASTING STRANDS FOR SLABS, BLOOMS, AND BILLETS 2521

SLAB, BLOOM, AND BILLET GRINDING MACHINES 665

Via Nazionale, 41 33042 Buttrio (UD) Italy Tel (39) 0432.1958111 Fax (39) 0432.1958289 info@danieli.com

DANIELI TEAM A CENTURY OF PARTNERSHIP EXPERIENCE MEET THE DANIELI TECHNOLOGY AT DANIELI LOUNGE HALLE 4 / G28

Danieli Centro Combustion and Danieli Olivotto Ferrè provide the most efficient and low consumption heating and heat treatment systems for all steel and NF metals production processes.

HEATING AND HEAT TREATMENT SYSTEMS 1000

DANIELI THE RELIABLE INNOVATIVE PARTNER TO BE A STEP AHEAD

Our original technology, process know-how, in-house design and manufacturing along with proprietary automation systems, environmental solutions and customer service for a competitive and sustainable steel and nonferrous metals industry. Strength and reliability presented by numbers.

HEAVY SECTION, RAIL, BAR AND WIREROD MILLS HOT STRIP, PLATE AND COLD MILLS 333 526

SEAMLESS AND WELDED TUBE AND PIPE PLANTS 115

EXTRUSION AND FORGING PRESSES 390

ALUMINIUM HOT AND COLD MILLS 150

DRAWING AND PEELING MACHINES STRIP PROCESSING AND FINISHING LINES 1799 508 MEET THE DANIELI TECHNOLOGY

DANIELI LOUNGE HALLE 4 / G28

Fives supports the restoration of the nave of the musée d’Orsay

Fives has signeda sponsorship agreement to restore the central nave of the musée d’Orsay. This commitment highlights the Group’s historic ties with the building, whose structure was built by Fives-Lille teams at the end of the 19th century. Built in the late 1890s, the building now home to the musée d’Orsay originally served as the terminus of the Paris-Orléans railway line for 39 years before being transformed into a national museum in 1986 which today welcomes more than 3 million visitors every year. The monumental station was designed by architect Victor Laloux based on an enormous metal structure that is 173-m long and 74-m wide. The structure was built using around 12,000 metric tons of steel – a challenge achieved by Fives-Lille and Moisant-Laurent- Savey who were called on for their expertise in mechanical construction. In 2019, the musée d’Orsay initiated a major project to renovate the central nave and its glass tympanum, notably to improve impermeability, which in turn will ensure the durability of the steel structure and vault, and protect the art collections housed in the museum.

Once a station, now a museum, which showcases Fives expertise dating back to the 19th century

New chief executive officer at ArcelorMittal Poland

As of January, Marc De Pauw has become CEO at ArcelorMittal Poland. Geert Verbeeck, the former CEO after five years of managing Polish steel plants will become a member of the management committee and chief operating officer at ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India. Marc joined the Group in 1991 in the metallurgical department at ArcelorMittal Gent. He then held several positions during his career path: project engineer, line manager, support manager, head of progress academy and head of coke and energy plant. In 2014, he became head of the transformation office, Flat Products business division South West. In his most recent role, since January 2018, he has been chief operating officer of the primary operations at ArcelorMittal Asturias in Spain.

Eva Vitell appointed HYBRIT’s new managing director

HYBRIT Development AB appointed Eva Vitell as the new managing director with effect from 1 February. Eva Vitell previously headed Customer and Market at Vattenfall Distribution, and before that held keading positions at Vattenfall’s Swedish wind power development and at Vattenfall´s Nordic operations. “Eva’s sound experience and ability to combine technological development, business development, economic and ecological sustainability will greatly contribute to the development of HYBRIT. Her strong drive, leadership skills and long experience in the energy sector will be a great asset,” says Martin Pei, CTO at SSAB and chairman of HYBRIT Development. HYBRIT Development AB is a joint venture owned by SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall which aims to develop HYBRIT technology from a laboratory scale to a full production scale to enable the world’s first fossil-free iron-ore based steelmaking. By using hydrogen instead of coke and coal for iron ore reduction, will emit water instead of carbon dioxide.

Midrex creates COO position with KC Woody

Midrex Technologies has announced the promotion of KC Woody to chief operating officer. Signaling a more focused commitment to customer service and support, Woody will be actively involved in the integration of the Midrex Operations and Sales & Marketing teams and the activities of the Midrex offices in India, China, Russia, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. In making the announcement, Stephen Montague, President & CEO of Midrex Technologies, Inc., said, “To be successful in an ever-evolving marketplace, we must be able to anticipate and respond to change. The creation of the COO position will allow us to better coordinate our sales & marketing, global services, and plant operations support teams under the leadership of KC Woody.” Woody, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army for more than eight years prior to Midrex. He joined Midrex in 2010, as plant sales manager responsible for commercial activities in Australia and Southeast Asia.

thyssenkrupp Steel: Desai out, Osburg in

Bernhard Osburg is the new chairman of the executive board of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe. He succeeds Premal Desai, who stepped down from his position at the end of February. In its statement on the appointment, thyssenkrupp AG confirmed speculations that the separation from Desai is based on differing views on the direction of the steel business. A mutual agreement on the separation was reached. Desai, who has been with the company for many years, was appointed ceo last summer, when Andreas Goss left after tk Steel’s failed merger with Tata Europe. In a period during which the larger thyssenkrupp AG conglomerate is struggling to redefine itself, with steel as a core business, 50-year old Osburg has been chief commercial officer of thyssenkrupp Steel Eu

Premal Desai

Bernhard Osburg Carsten Evers

rope AG since last year, responsible for sales. In addition, tk Steel has a new chief financial officer in Carsten Evers (55). Premal Desai most recently held this position in addition to his other duties. Evers was previously CFO of the Automotive Technology business of thyssenkrupp AG.

Outokumpu President & CEO Roeland Baan to step down in May

Outokumpu’s President & CEO Roeland Baan has informed the company’s Board of Directors that he will resign from Outokumpu later this spring to take a CEO position in a company outside Finland. Baan will continue as the company’s

CEO until May 15, 2020. The search for Mr. Baan’s successor has been underway since last autumn, and the board expects to make a decision well ahead of Mr. Baan’s departure. As MPT went to press, no decision has been announced yet.

Erratum

A mix-up of different activities at Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) occurred in our last edition. The skin pass mill DMS SkinPass 4Hi will be supplied by Fives, not Danieli, and looks like this ➞ The picture to that article erroneously showed equipment supplied by Danieli to SDI’s Columbia City works in Indiana, a new billet welder and spooler line producing spooled coils up to 5 tonnes in endless mode.