Upgrade Positions Ispat Inland for a Generation
31 October 2003 - 7:37AM
PR Newswire (US)
Upgrade Positions Ispat Inland for a Generation EAST CHICAGO, Ind.,
Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ispat Inland Inc.'s big blast
furnace has come roaring back -- virtually a new ironmaker after a
thorough reline and upgrade. "We have made a large investment in
the hot end of the business, and the result appears to be all that
the company hoped for," said Louis L. Schorsch, president and chief
executive officer of Ispat Inland. "Our company had an ambitious
plan to take No. 7 blast furnace down for 80 days and substantially
upgrade it for $100 million during that short period," said
Schorsch, who became CEO on Oct. 1. "The reline team delivered --
on time and within budget. The furnace is climbing its learning
curve on schedule and is meeting all expectations for quality and
productivity." The upgrade represents a major commitment to U.S.
manufacturers of vehicles, appliances and other products that
require higher grades of steel for demanding end uses. Ispat
Inland's customer base includes almost every automaker in the
United States, as well as leading manufacturers of appliances,
office furniture and electrical motors. No. 7 blast furnace is the
largest ironmaker in North America, providing about two-thirds of
the iron for Ispat Inland's steelmaking and finishing operations in
East Chicago, Ind., and for joint ventures in New Carlisle, Ind.
"The basic technology of the blast furnace dates back to the 14th
century," said Madhu G. Ranade, vice president of manufacturing at
Ispat Inland's Indiana Harbor Works. "Raw materials go in the top;
oxygen and superheated air are blown in near the bottom; chemical
reactions occur at high temperature inside; and molten iron and
slag are tapped from the hearth." However, Ranade said ironmaking
in general and the men and women of No. 7 blast furnace in
particular have come a long way. "From a beginning production rate
of 7,000 tons a day when the furnace was built in 1980, it had
improved to more than 10,000 tons a day before being scaled back
toward the end of its 'campaign' in preparation for the reline," he
said. "Now we take another step forward." Ranade said meticulous
planning and vigorous implementation, by both Ispat Inland and the
top talent all around the world, enabled the company to do more at
less cost and quicker than any than any previous reline of similar
scope. However, he said the result is a furnace that compares
favorably with any in the world in terms of quality, reliability,
productivity and energy consumption. "We are positioned to supply
our customers for the next 20 years," Ranade said. The principal
goal of the reline was the replacement of the hearth bricks that
protect the furnace's steel shell from internal temperatures as
high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more. But Ispat Inland also
made numerous other major improvements, including the water cooling
system for the furnace, the gas-cleaning system and the charging
system for raw materials. The company also installed a new expert
operator guidance system in early 2003, gaining both improved
performance before the reline and a database for the computer model
it is using to operate the upgraded furnace. The upgrade will
enable Ispat Inland to use more efficiently the productive capacity
of the Harbor Works' two steelmaking shops, hot strip mill and
cold-rolling and coating lines -- as well as that of its joint
ventures with Nippon Steel Corp., I/N Tek and I/N Kote, in New
Carlisle, Ind. Ispat Inland Inc. is a subsidiary of Ispat
International N.V., one of the top 10 steel companies in the world,
with integrated steelmaking facilities in six countries and annual
shipments in 2002 in excess of 15 million tons. Ispat Inland
manufactures a broad range of semifinished and finished flat and
bar steel products and is one of the world's lowest-cost steel
producers. In addition to Ispat Inland in East Chicago, Ind., USA,
Ispat International has major steelmaking facilities in Canada,
Mexico, Trinidad, France and Germany. Ispat International is a
member of The LNM Group, the world's second-largest and most global
steel group, which also operates in Algeria, Czech Republic,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Romania and South Africa. DATASOURCE: Ispat
Inland Inc. CONTACT: David C. Allen of Ispat Inland Inc.,
+1-219-399-5430
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