New Rolling Mill Inaugurated at Fundia Nedstaal

The new rolling line at Fundia Nedstaal B.V.’s rolling mill was inaugurated in the Netherlands on Wednesday. The wire rod production of the company has now been centralised in a single combi mill instead of the previous two rolling lines. The new rolling mill improves the cost efficiency of Fundia Nedstaal, and the new long cooling conveyor enables the manufacture of more demanding rolling products in terms of quality than before. The new rolling line was pened by Rautaruukki Group’s President and CEO Mikko Kivimäki. The combi mill supplements Fundia Nedstaal’s rolling product range, improves the efficiency of operations, energy use and internal logistics at the rolling mill, and decreases maintenance costs. The new rolling mill also has positive environmental effects thanks to cleaner cooling water. The maximum production capacity of Nedstaal’s new plant is 400,000 tonnes a year. The top speed of 5.5 - 30 mm diameter wire rod on the rolling line is 70 metres per second, i.e. 250 km/h. Equipment installations at the new line began in March this year and the main installations were carried out in May and June. In August, after a testing phase, it was possible to roll the first wire rod coils and run in the line. The total cost of the investment is EUR 11 million. Nedstaal’s customers include companies manufacturing components and other end products for the automotive and engineering industry. Wire rod supplied by Nedstaal is used, for example, in valve springs for cars, bolts, screws and other fasteners as well as bearings and various tools such as adjustable wrenches or pliers. Together with Fundia Wire in Finland, Fundia Nedstaal B.V. makes up the Fundia Wire Division, one of the leading producers of cold heading and ball bearing wire rods in Europe. Fundia Nedstaal is also the sole European producer of valve spring wires. The company employs some 450 people. Fundia is a division of the Rautaruukki Group manufacturing long steel products. Rautaruukki, the biggest steel company in the Nordic countries, is a Finnish listed company with an annual turnover of nearly EUR 3 billion and a personnel of 13,000 people.