NLMK Verona modernizes sheet metal technology

and the Italian enterprise NLMK in Verona will build a new electric arc furnace for the production of slabs, the commissioning of which is scheduled for 2027.

The new EAF production process is expected to provide minimal environmental impact while facilitating the production of green steel plate. At the same time, the steelworks is implementing a project to electrify its existing gas equipment. Verona already produces green board thanks to its existing EAF, which supplies half of the plant's sheet production.

The site's revenue is expected to grow by 50% as a result of the investment, from €400 million ($432.11) to around €600 million. In 2023, NLMK Verona's turnover reached 413 million euros. The enterprise has an annual capacity of 450,000 tons and a staff of 310 people. It sells 75% of its products on the domestic market, and also exports to the markets of Asia, North America and other EU countries. The Verona plant is part of NLMK Europe's sheet metal division, together with NLMK Clabecq in Belgium and Denmark's NLMK DanSteel.

This month, NLMK Clabecq is launching an advanced process technology called “InThinity”, designed to produce thin wafers with tight thickness tolerances. Clabecq can now produce high-precision inserts up to 15 mm thick.

This is the result of a finishing mill renovation completed in 2023. Investments included upgrades to the hydraulic thickness control (HGC), improved flatness control, replacement of the primary and secondary descalers, which now operate at 250 and 130 bar, and the creation of four independent rolling stands that allow for precise adjustments during production. They ensure uniform thickness throughout the sheet while improving flatness.

“This technology ensures that high precision is built into every plate as a standard offering, strengthening our position as a supplier of high-quality steel products and helping manufacturers achieve higher levels of performance in their operations,” NLMK Europe Plate commercial director Peter Selbach said in a statement.

InThinity guarantees thickness tolerances that exceed industry standards. “For thicknesses from 3 mm to 5 mm, tolerances are reduced from 1 mm according to EN 10029 to 0.6 mm with InThinity and further to a guaranteed 0.4 mm with InThinity+,” it concludes.

With an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons, NLMK Clabecq produces steel sheets in thicknesses ranging from 3 to 120 mm for the construction, shipbuilding, energy, transport, yellow goods and mining industries.