This is Steel – thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG at a glance

Since it went into operation in December 2023, the new Continuous Casting Line 3 in Duisburg-Bruckhausen has replaced two aging predecessor lines. The unit delivers significant improvements in quality and efficiency: The third facility of its kind at the site features state-of-the-art measurement and control technology and produces slabs for particularly demanding applications. It has also further strengthened the process chain for premium products – a key component of the industrial strategy.

A state-of-the-art Walking Beam Furnace has been in operation at the Duisburg Hot Strip Mill 2 since September 2022. Covering an area of 54 meters, the unit brings up to 300 slabs per day to rolling temperature in a uniform and energy-efficient manner. Different heating zones enable variable temperature control, allowing the slabs to be produced with specific material properties. Since the massive steel blocks are carried through the furnace rather than pushed, process-related surface defects can be virtually eliminated.

To ensure optimal integration between the Continuous Casting Line and the Hot Strip Mill, thyssenkrupp Steel is investing in a fully automated Slab Storage Yard. Its most distinctive feature is an intelligent logistics control system that calculates the distribution of approximately 1.7 million tons of slabs annually in real time and optimizes all crane movements. Some slabs can be used directly from the new continuous casting line while still hot – saving energy. At the 19,200-square-meter storage facility, four fully automated slab cranes ensure greater operational safety, as no personnel are required on the ground.

With an investment of around 100 million euros, thyssenkrupp Steel is moving forward with the expansion of its Bochum plant into a center of excellence for electromobility. In October 2022, the cornerstone was laid for a new Double Reversing Stand, which went into operation a year later. The stand produces high-quality, non grain oriented electrical steel strip for highly efficient electric drives. Through a freely controllable number of reversing rolling passes, particularly thin materials between 0.20 and 0.50 millimeters can be produced with high flatness and extremely tight tolerances. In addition, the mill is also used to produce high-strength multiphase steels.

With the Hot-Dip Coating Line 10 (FBA 10), thyssenkrupp Steel has commissioned one of the world’s most modern facilities of its kind at its Dortmund site. In this facility, which is approximately 350 meters long and up to 65 meters high, materials for vehicle interior components and exterior body panels are produced using both proven hot-dip galvanizing and highly innovative zinc-magnesium-based coatings. The thin coating thickness of these coatings makes them material- and cost-efficient. Annual production capacity amounts to up to 600,000 tons of hot-dip galvanized premium steel – the automotive industry in particular benefits from the expanded capacity.

At its Andernach site, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has commenced production of specially chrome-plated packaging steel at its new Coating Line 13. The process utilizes an innovative coating technology – Trivalent Chromium Coating Technology (TCCT^®) – which uses chromium(III) instead of the previously standard chromium(VI) in the manufacturing process, thereby fully complying with the requirements of the EU REACH Regulation. The specially chrome-plated packaging steel is used, among other things, for pet food cans, crown corks, and ink cans. The new facility also enables the chrome plating of even wider and thinner sheets.