Good news from the heavy plate unit at ­thyssenkrupp:

Considerable progress has been made in research into wear-resistant heavy plates from the XAR^®MS series with a hardness of 400 Brinell and a thickness of up to six millimeters.

The first step was to develop the concept of micro-alloyed, martensitic steel through extensive laboratory tests.

Operating trials aimed at achieving suitable rolling and cooling para­meters are currently in full swing. The tests will help ensure that the material is ready for operation as soon as possible.