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Upgrade Positions Ispat Inland for a Generation
EAST CHICAGO, Ind., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ispat Inland Inc.'s big
blast furnace has come roaring back -- virtually a new ironmaker after a
thorough reline and upgrade.
"We have made a large investment in the hot end of the business, and the result
appears to be all that the company hoped for," said Louis L. Schorsch, president
and chief executive officer of Ispat Inland.
"Our company had an ambitious plan to take No. 7 blast furnace down for 80 days
and substantially upgrade it for $100 million during that short period," said
Schorsch, who became CEO on Oct. 1.
"The reline team delivered -- on time and within budget. The furnace is climbing
its learning curve on schedule and is meeting all expectations for quality and
productivity."
The upgrade represents a major commitment to U.S. manufacturers of vehicles,
appliances and other products that require higher grades of steel for demanding
end uses.
Ispat Inland's customer base includes almost every automaker in the United
States, as well as leading manufacturers of appliances, office furniture and
electrical motors.
No. 7 blast furnace is the largest ironmaker in North America, providing about
two-thirds of the iron for Ispat Inland's steelmaking and finishing operations
in East Chicago, Ind., and for joint ventures in New Carlisle, Ind.
"The basic technology of the blast furnace dates back to the 14th century," said
Madhu G. Ranade, vice president of manufacturing at Ispat Inland's Indiana
Harbor Works. "Raw materials go in the top; oxygen and superheated air are blown
in near the bottom; chemical reactions occur at high temperature inside; and
molten iron and slag are tapped from the hearth."
However, Ranade said ironmaking in general and the men and women of No. 7 blast
furnace in particular have come a long way.
"From a beginning production rate of 7,000 tons a day when the furnace was built
in 1980, it had improved to more than 10,000 tons a day before being scaled back
toward the end of its 'campaign' in preparation for the reline," he said.
"Now we take another step forward."
Ranade said meticulous planning and vigorous implementation, by both Ispat
Inland and the top talent all around the world, enabled the company to do more
at less cost and quicker than any than any previous reline of similar scope.
However, he said the result is a furnace that compares favorably with any in the
world in terms of quality, reliability, productivity and energy consumption.
"We are positioned to supply our customers for the next 20 years," Ranade said.
The principal goal of the reline was the replacement of the hearth bricks that
protect the furnace's steel shell from internal temperatures as high as 3,000
degrees Fahrenheit or more. But Ispat Inland also made numerous other major
improvements, including the water cooling system for the furnace, the
gas-cleaning system and the charging system for raw materials.
The company also installed a new expert operator guidance system in early 2003,
gaining both improved performance before the reline and a database for the
computer model it is using to operate the upgraded furnace.
The upgrade will enable Ispat Inland to use more efficiently the productive
capacity of the Harbor Works' two steelmaking shops, hot strip mill and
cold-rolling and coating lines -- as well as that of its joint ventures with
Nippon Steel Corp., I/N Tek and I/N Kote, in New Carlisle, Ind.
Ispat Inland Inc. is a subsidiary of Ispat International N.V., one of the top 10
steel companies in the world, with integrated steelmaking facilities in six
countries and annual shipments in 2002 in excess of 15 million tons. Ispat
Inland manufactures a broad range of semifinished and finished flat and bar
steel products and is one of the world's lowest-cost steel producers. In
addition to Ispat Inland in East Chicago, Ind., USA, Ispat International has
major steelmaking facilities in Canada, Mexico, Trinidad, France and Germany.
Ispat International is a member of The LNM Group, the world's second-largest and
most global steel group, which also operates in Algeria, Czech Republic,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Romania and South Africa.
DATASOURCE: Ispat Inland Inc.
CONTACT: David C. Allen of Ispat Inland Inc., +1-219-399-5430