LECH-STAHLWERKE GMBH places order with SMS GROUP for expansion of bar mill 2

Contract signing. Top (from left to right): Dr. Christian Günther (Project Manager LSW), Jochen Henze (Sales Director LSW), Simon Zeilberger (Commercial Director LSW), Günther Schnell, Toni Herrmann (Commercial Representatives SMS group), Benjamin Keim (Sales Representative SMS group). Bottom (from left to right): Evelyne Aicher and Max Aicher (Owners), Marcel Fasswald (Managing Board SMS group), Knut Rummler (Technical Director LSW).

The expansion of bar mill 2 of Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH at the Meitingen site will be completed by SMS group  in the fall of 2017 when the mill will go into production. The scope of supply of SMS group includes a 3-roll precision sizing block (PSM® - Precision Sizing Mill) including the associated roll workshop, a rake-type cooling bed, abrasive cut-off machines and a finishing section. In addition to the mechanical equipment, SMS group also supplies the electrical equipment and the automation system and is also responsible for erection and commissioning.

"The goal of the expansion is to achieve even closer size tolerances of the bars while at the same time increasing the flexibility of the mill. As a result, our reaction to the demands of the market can be faster and in an even more customized manner. We will be able to further boost both yield and quality. The advanced technical solutions offered led us to decide in favor of SMS group," says Knut Rummler, Technical Director of Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH.

Lech-Stahlwerke are thus reacting to the demands of the automotive industry and also enabling just-in-time delivery of SBQ grades (Special Bar Quality) with optimum surface finish and straightness of the bars. "We are one of the most important suppliers to the automotive industry in Bavaria, and with the new installations from SMS group we will be able to produce safety-relevant steel even more precisely than to date - because we do more than just fulfill our obligations," says Max Aicher, Board Director of the Max Aicher Foundation.

In future, bar steel in the diameter range from 30 to 80 millimeters will be rolled from a single-pass family on the modern 380/4 PSM® sizing block.

The rolls are adjusted hydraulically with roll gap control under load. The 3-roll block will also be equipped with a MEERgauge® diameter measuring device which, in conjunction with monitor control, allows smooth and automatic operation of the PSM®.

The downline plant configuration with rake-type cooling bed, abrasive cut-off machines and finishing section will enable Lech-Stahlwerke to further process its whole product spectrum for bar steel (30 to 130 millimeters round) and square hollow sections (50 to 120 millimeters) and to further optimize the in-house logistics process.

Lech-Stahlwerke in Meitingen, Germany (Source: Peter Viskomm)

SMS Siemag AG and SMS Meer GmbH are both companies of SMS group which, under the roof of SMS Holding GmbH, consists of a group of companies internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering for the steel and nonferrous metals industry.