EuroWire November 2020

Corporate News

Steel plant restarts via digital technologies Integrated steel group ORI Martin and Tenova – a Techint Group company specialised in solutions for the metals and mining industries – have their headquarters in Lombardy, Italy, one of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 health emergency worldwide. Smart Factory Cluster (Cluster Fabbrica Intelligente), involves an overall to guarantee business continuity to our customers, trying to react promptly,” commented Tenova CEO Roberto

investment of €12mn, partly funded by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Lombardy Region within the Fund for Sustainable Growth. The goal is to transform ORI Martin’s steel plant in Brescia into a smart factory with the support of Tenova, the project’s technological partner, with the application of the technologies of Industry 4.0. “Over the past months, our main priority – together with safeguarding our employees’ health and safety – has been

CuMg, CuAg and CuSn. This continuous cast rod material benefits manufacturers of bar-wound motors, enamelled wires, superfine wires, LAN cables, wiring harnesses, railway wires, shaped, contact wires, CTC and transformer strips. Equipment is available for the production of 1,000 to 12,000 mt per year for products from 8 to 30mm in diameter. Sample coils can be manufactured to order and produced on the continuous casting equipment installed at the Rautomead facility in Dundee, UK. Rautomead Ltd www.rautomead.com ORI Martin president Uggero de Miranda added, “Despite the difficult moment – both from a health and an economic point of view – ORI Martin has not stopped investing, especially in strategic models like digital transformation and circular economy, fundamental pillars for green steel production and at the basis of the Lighthouse Plant Acciaio_4.0.” Tenova SpA www.tenova.com ORI Martin SpA www.orimartin.com Pancaldi. “This experience is showing us that the path undertaken with ORI Martin is the right one to face the challenges ahead: the implementation of a platform for advanced digital services based on big data analysis and machine learning technologies, integrating the entire value chain, is the key to manage steel plant operations in the safest and most efficient way. “This crisis will widen the gap between those who invested in innovation and those who did not, favouring the first ones in a market outlook that promises to be very competitive.”

To face the crisis hitting the Italian and European manufacturing sector, the two companies have invested in digital technologies, finding a strategy to adapt to the changing conditions. “Acciaio_4.0”, one of the four Lighthouse Plant projects selected by the Italian

▼ ▼ ORI Martin is transforming its facility through the Lighthouse Plant project

Rautomead Ltd

Stand: 10 B52

At wire 2020 Rautomead will be presenting its new model RS 3000SX continuous casting machine for the manufacture of extra-low oxygen content CuOF rod. The company’s standard graphite furnace technology will produce low oxygen CuOFE (<5ppm) copper rod, which is suitable for most oxygen-free wire applications. the automotive industry are driving demands for lower oxygen content copper rod, eg for use in the manufacture of high-efficiency bar-wound electric Technical requirements from

motors. The enhanced graphite crucible electric resistance furnace design of the RS 3000SX, combined with modified tooling and production techniques, improves the oxygen reduction capability of the graphite technology system to produce extra-low oxygen content copper rod. Rautomead will also be promoting its RSL sealed lid continuous casting technology, designed for processing progressive alloy rods such as copper chrome zirconium, together with its conventional open-furnace models for producing high-purity, oxygen-free copper wire rods and conductor alloy rods such as

Aztech Lubricants

Stand: 13 B81-03

Aztech Lubricants is a provider of wire drawing and lubricant solutions. At its stand, the company will showcase the EZDraw, EZClean, EZCoat and EZFeed products, and its new high fusion drawing lubes. Also on show will be the company’s new environmentally friendly

packaging, and its new EZPliers wire cutting pliers. Aztech provides a full line of calcium, sodium and potassium stearate-based drawing powders, RP oil, drawing oils, vanishing oils and pre-coats, as well as a

complete line of AZWipe spiral brushes. The company has manufacturing and distribution capabilities in the USA, Colombia, India and Korea. Aztech Lubricants www.aztechlube.com

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November 2020