Tata Steel to begin commissioning Stocksbridge furnaces
Trials are due to begin on new equipment at Tata Steel’s Stocksbridge steelworks in South Yorkshire in the UK following a £6.5 million investment programme to increase production of aerospace steels.
Tata Steel has invested in two vacuum arc remelting furnaces and specialist testing equipment to allow the company to produce more steel for the aerospace industry.
Engineers are currently carrying out the final installation work on the new equipment to enable trials to begin by the end of 2011. Both furnaces are expected to be in full production in early 2012.
Engineering Director for Tata Steel's speciality business, Andrew Douglass, praised the team of employees implementing this major investment work: "A team of specialist engineers from Tata Steel have worked incredibly hard on the challenging project to install this new equipment, which will help us to increase our production of highly technical and demanding products for the aerospace industry."
"We are now entering the testing phase of this major investment programme, and will begin trials later this year. This process will ensure the new equipment is capable of producing the technically demanding and safety-critical steels our aerospace customers require.'
Vacuum arc remelting furnaces improve the chemical and mechanical properties of steel so it meets the exacting standards of the world’s most demanding applications, such as energy exploration and generation, as well as aerospace.
The £6.5-million investment in aerospace steel production will boost output of these steels by 30% and has led to the creation of eight new jobs.
Last week Tata Steel announced a further £4.5-million investment in its South Yorkshire operations. The £4.5 million scheme will improve plant reliability and energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and boost production of high-value steel products.
Managing Director of Tata Steel’s speciality business, Mark Broxholme, said: “In the last year, Tata Steel has invested more than £20 million in South Yorkshire.
"We have demonstrated our expertise in the delivery of this major aerospace project in Stocksbridge, and this has given the company the confidence to further invest in steelmaking in South Yorkshire with these latest projects to improve energy efficiency and reliability, reduce emissions and further boost production of our high-value products."
About Tata Steel in Europe
The European operations of Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus) comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking operations in the UK and the Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, material handling and other demanding markets worldwide.
Tata Steel is one of the world’s top ten steel producers. The combined group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.