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ArcelorMittal Vega, Brazil has awarded SMS group the order to expand the flat rolling mill complex in São Francisco do Sul, Brazil, supplied by SMS group in 2003. With this project, the company intends to boot the mill's capacity by 640,000 tons annually and add ultra-high-strength steel strip for the automotive industry to its portfolio. To this end, the existing pickling line/tandem cold mill will be modified, and a new universal annealing and hot-dip galvanizing line as well as a new recoiling and inspection line will be integrated into the facility. Commissioning of the new and modified lines is scheduled for 2023.

The additional 640,000 tons-per-year produced will be refined in the new universal annealing and hot-dip galvanizing line mainly into high-strength steel grades for automotive structural components. Reliable production of high- and ultra-high-strength steels will be ensured by a high-performance annealing furnace from SMS group company Drever International. The furnace will achieve very high cooling rates, thanks to its innovative UFCplus rapid gas-cooling system, for example. A FOEN air-knife system will assure precise attainment of the specified zinc layer thickness. Both zinc and zinc-magnesium coatings will be possible. The line concept also provides for an "anneal only" option.

The line will process strip in thicknesses from 0.4 to 3.0 millimeters and widths between 750 and 1,875 millimeters.