Commenting on the investment, Nick Ballige,r director for Brinsworth said: “These developments will offer more choice for customers, and open new product and geographical markets for Brinsworth Strip Mills in the automotive, re-rolling and engineering sectors.
“Linked with the new Schloemann cold rolling mill nearing completion in the Brinsworth Cold Mill, we have a manufacturing complex well placed to meet the highest levels of product quality and service expected by our customers”
Brinsworth Strip Mills employs 347 people at their site in Rotherham. The
investment enables the hot mill to supply a hot rolled coil weight to meet the demands of customers using special carbon, alloy and stainless steel strip for demanding applications.
Commenting further, Adrian Charman, Commercial Manager said: “The upgrading of the Brinsworth Narrow Hot Strip Mill comes at an important time for consumers of niche narrow hot rolled steel strip, and confirms Corus’ intentions to continue as a major world player in the production of these grades. It also confirms Corus’ declared strategy of investing in, and growing, downstream value-adding businesses.”
Work has already started on the installation of a walking hearth reheat furnace relocated from an adjacent Corus site, the former Templeborough Rolling Mills, a rod mill which closed in 1998. In addition, a new two-stand intermediate mill will be added prior to the six-stand finishing mill, and the hot coiler configuration will be modified to extend the existing coil size range to a new maximum of 10kgs/mm of strip width.
The mill in its new configuration will be commissioned by the end of 2001, with all major engineering work taking place off-line, and installation of the main items of plant being carried out over normal works shutdowns and at weekends. Corus says that as a result there will be minimal interruption to normal production and customer service.
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