Arvedi and Siemens create the world’s first endless steel strip production facility

Erlangen, Germany, The Italian steel producer Arvedi and Siemens have joined forces to usher in a new era in steel production. Liquid steel can now be processed in a single production step from casting and rolling through to coiling of the finished metal sheet This first “endless strip production” (ESP) facility has now started operating in Cremona, Italy, and is set to produce over two million metric tons of steel per year. Thanks to the uninterrupted process, energy savings of up to 45 per cent are possible compared to conventional steelworks. This reduces the factory’s CO2 emissions to a similar degree and cuts process costs by up to 50 per cent.

In the Arvedi plant in Cremona, finished high-quality metal sheet is produced from the tapped liquid steel in only 3.5 minutes from final point of solidification to hot rolled coil, exactly in line with the customer’s specifications. The inventor and industrial magnate Giovanni Arvedi realized the ESP-pilot plant together with Siemens VAI Metals Technologies as industrial partner. As the licence holder, Siemens will market the innovative technology worldwide in the future.

The ESP method makes it possible to use all the liquid steel’s thermal energy. At the same time, thin strips can be produced of a better quality and at lower costs compared to alternative methods. The products of the Arvedi ESP facility are suitable for use in the automotive industry, in the production of household appliances and in the construction industry as well as for the manufacture of pipes, metal sections, machines and other mechanical equipment.

This press release is accompanied by a photo which you can find in the Internet at: http://www.industry.siemens.com/data/presse/pics/IIS200908458.jpg

The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies as well as comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six Divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry posted a profit of EUR3.86 billion with revenues totalling EUR38 billion in fiscal year 2008 (ended September 30). www.siemens.com/industry

As an innovation with a direct bearing on economic efficiency and the environment, the ESP method is part of the Siemens environmental portfolio. In fiscal 2008, Siemens had annual sales of around 19 billion euros based on environmental technology, makingthe companythe world’s largest supplier of green technologies. Sales from the company’s environmental portfolio are set to rise to 25 billion euros by the year 2011.