The linked pickling line/tandem mill in the Dortmund cold rolling mill of ThyssenKrupp Stahl went back into operation on August 21 following a two-year modernization during which production continued and the line was out of action for only 34 days. The 33 million euros investment included modernization work on the pickling line and cold rolling mill as well as the building of a new, fully continuous exit section with two coilers and a new coil transfer system.

Both the new mill control system and the complete exit section are now basically the same as the equipment installed at the company`s sister facility in Duisburg - the world`s most advanced cold rolling mill. "ThyssenKrupp Stahl now has two high-tech pickling/rolling lines for the production of sheet meeting extremely high surface quality requirements, mainly for the automobile industry," says Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Executive Board Chairman of the steel company.

"Technical highlights include the first use in Europe of new plate heat exchangers in the pickling line`s hydrochloric acid circuits, and a new inspection system for both sides of the strip which has since been filed for patent," explains Heinrich Braun, who led the modernization project.

Contact:
ThyssenKrupp Steel
Erwin Schneider
Tel.: +49 203 52 - 2 56 90
Fax: +49 203 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: erwin.schneider@tks.thyssenkrupp.com

Dietmar Stamm
Tel.: +49 203 52 - 2 62 67
Fax: +49 203 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: dietmar.stamm@tks.thyssenkrupp.com