Severstal North America announced the successful launch of a new, five stand, six high, 72" wide coupled pickle line tandem cold mill at its plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

The new USD 450 million state of the art facility is expected to ramp up to full capacity of 2.1 million net tons within six months.

The new PLTCM with its highly sophisticated control systems and cutting edge operating practices will benefit the environment by significantly reducing air emissions and lubricant waste compared to the existing cold mill.

The equipment for the new mill was supplied by Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery. CV Engineering provided the facility design, while Barton Malow Company acted as the construction firm overseeing the project installation.

Mr Sergei Kuznetsov CEO of Severstal North America said “The launch of our new cold rolling complex is a key component in our goal of becoming one of the world’s most efficient and advanced steel producers. The new equipment will enable us to offer products of superior quality and provide exceptional service to our customers, as well as produce the next generation of advanced high strength steels for automotive applications.”

The launch of the PLTCM is complemented by the construction and impending start up of a modern, USD 285 million hot dipped galvanizing line in the same production complex in Dearborn. The new coating line will be targeting critically exposed applications for automotive customers and other critical cold roll consuming manufacturers. It is currently nearing completion with a scheduled launch in December of 2011.