voestalpine Orders New Rail Rolling Mill
25 September 2003
voestalpine Schienen extends its quality lead with a new rail rolling mill
With the production of high-tech rails in lengths of up to 120 m, which if required can be supplied with HSH® head hardening, innovative, just-in-time delivery services and the world’s largest production programme, voestalpine Schienen GmbH is a source of new new benchmarks with regard to competence, quality and customer advantages.
As a pioneer in the field of innovative rail technology of the highest quality, voestalpine Schienen GmbH recently allocated an order to the Italian company DANIELI for the completion of a new rail rolling plant at its Leoben/Donawitz plant in Austria.
voestalpine Schienen GmbH is Europe’s leading rail producer, supplying both international railway, local transport and industrial customers. In August 2003, the Donawitz rail specialist awarded the Italian plant builder Danieli Morgardshammar an order for a new type of universal rail rolling mill for its plant in Leoben/Donawitz. The aim of this major, EUR 66 m investment is to secure and extend the company’s excellent market position as a quality supplier and the owner of the most innovative rail rolling mill in the world, and thus offer additional advantages to the customer.
High-tech and high-performance
The Danieli commission involves the complete replacement of the existing rail rolling train by a new two-high, pre-rolling stand in combination with a high-performance reversing tandem rolling mill based on universal rolling technology. The scope of deliveries also includes new descaling systems for the attainment of top quality.
This investment will provide a further major improvement in the extremely strict product tolerances achieved up to now. As a result, in future, even higher standards of product quality will be achieved. Moreover, the refurbishment of the plant will raise its productivity, flexibility and unit capacity factor.
Flexibility means success
Due to the innovative, robot-aided SCC system (Stand Core Concept) for the fast, automatic exchange of rolls and fittings in just 20 minutes, time losses related to product changes are cut to a minimum. In view of the fact that more than 100 various rail sections are produced in Donawitz, this will have a considerable effect on overall production performance.
The rolling mill project will be completed in accordance with a strict schedule established by voestalpine Schienen and Danieli. The plant standstill will begin at the end of 2005 and last only two months, whereby an undisturbed flow of deliveries will be secured during the construction period by the prior creation of sufficient stock.
voestalpine Schienen GmbH is a company of the voestalpine Bahnsysteme Group, which with its rail technology and turnout technology divisions, as well as related logistics/services , numbers among the leading international suppliers of permanent way solutions.
