ThyssenKrupp Starts Up Alabama Stainless Rolling Mill

Cold-rolled capacity scheduled to increase from 100,000 to 140,000 metric tons per year.

Germany-based ThyssenKrupp has announced the start-up of a stainless steel rolling mill at its new facility in Calvert, Ala. In a release, the company says production has started with a cold rolling mill with an initial capacity of 100,000 metric tons per year. The plant is expected to increase its production over time to as much as 140,000 metric tons per year.

Work on the site began in 2007. The company says the capital investments made on the project stand at around $1.4 billion.
Construction of additional production lines are either planned or in progress. The foundation for the hot-rolled annealing and pickling line began in January of 2010, with startup scheduled for fall of 2011. The construction and ramp-up of the remaining units, including a melt shop, is being kept flexible.
Thyssen Krupp says various units tied into the cold rolling operation have started up, including machines to further process the cold-rolled strip, including a Sendzimir mill, a cold-rolled annealing and pickling line, a skin pass stand, as well as finishing equipment such as coil polishing, slitting and cut-to-length lines.
“Three very challenging years are behind us,” says Ulrich Albrecht-Früh, CEO of ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA. “The start of production marks a key milestone. I am proud of our team, which has mastered this complex project so successfully in a difficult economic environment.”