Imports of packing straps no longer necessary

The giant steelmaker used to import as much as 2,000 tons of metal straps each year to be used in the mill’s production cycle and transportation of its products, he said, adding in order to attain the technical knowhow to make such straps and stop imports, the Metallurgy and Production Techniques unit of the company decided to work out the technical specifications of the sheets which are used in the production of metal straps.

Then a local contractor was picked in cooperation with the purchasing and material control unit. Later, the specified sheets were cast and rolled in cooperation with a number of different units such as iron- and steel-making as well as cold- and hot-rolling mills. And finally, the premises of the local contractor were used for complementary processes such as strip cutting, annealing, coating and packaging of straps.    

He went on to say the straps thus produced were then tested in labs and used in different sections of the mill for cold-rolled and coated products and along packaging lines. “The lab tests have proved that the products are up to par; thus, the need for imports of foreign-made straps has been eliminated.”

That means other domestic steelmakers and producers can work with local contractors to meet their need for such straps.

  
Meanwhile, Naseri, an expert with the Metallurgy and Production Techniques unit of Mobarakeh Steel Company who designed the straps in question, said the material chosen for the straps, on the one hand, had to meet the mechanical specifications that ensured safe transportation and on the other had to be available domestically given that the country was subjected to sanctions. After initial assessments, a number of steel grades that met the requirements were selected to produce straps. Later steel grades that met the requirements for cold-rolled products in various sizes in the form of sheets and coils were chosen and mass-produced.

And Behnam Sharifi, a technician with the technical unit of the production department, said that the straps used along automatic packaging lines are weldable and that their indigenization saves the country a large amount in foreign currencies. “Besides, the fact that these straps are readily available eliminates the need to place orders for large quantities a long time in advance and does not require the company capital to sit idle in storage facilities. Under the new arrangements, customers can order the amount of straps they need on a monthly basis.”

In conclusion, the chief technical officer of the Cold-Rolling Mill thanked the Metallurgy and Production Techniques unit for developing the straps and appreciated the efforts of other units such as the Purchasing and Material Control Unit, labs, packaging and delivery unit, as well as the management of the Cold-Rolling Mill and other units that contributed to the project.