Japanese JP Steel Plantech Co and Italian Siemens VAI Metals Technologies have entered into a new co operation in the field of endless rolling technology based on Steel Plantech’s EBROS® technology.

EBROS® stands for 'Endless Bar Rolling System' and is a proprietary technology of Steel Plantech for continuous on line welding and joining of hot billets as they are transferred directly from continuous casters or reheating furnaces to the rolling mill. This allows the efficient manufacture of bars, wire rods and shapes by means of continuous non interrupted rolling. EBROS® enables endless rolling with a consequent substantial increase in productivity, material yields and plant utilization factor, and also can grant consistency of product quality.

Under the new license agreement, Siemens VAI confirmed that its technology currently advertised as 'ERT' is based on Steel Plantech’s EBROS® technology, which opened the possibility for broadening the co operation between the parties. Under the new EBROS® license, Siemens VAI srl will be allowed to combine EBROS with own developments and market this technology under the new trade name 'ERT-EBROS®'.

In parallel, Steel Plantech and its other licensees will continue to offer the original EBROS® system, which has been successfully implemented in various steel mills in the past, with Steel Plantech’s own further developments. In the future, customers will thus have a choice between Steel Plantech’s original EBROS® and Siemens VAI srl's ERT-EBROS®.