The development and production of new products, even in difficult times of war, are essential for the effective development of companies and a matter of honour for Metinvest's steelmakers. In 2023, the company's steelworks launched 25 new steel products for Ukrainian and foreign customers. Kamet-Steel's steelmakers account for nine of them.
The Basic Oxygen Furnace Shop started producing 160х160 mm continuously cast billets of t3ps/sp, C72D2, C80D2, 70, Sh2, and S355J2 steels with stricter requirements for chemical composition and macrostructure. For this purpose, they used the submerged entry nozzle casting process whereby the steel jet between the tundish and the mould is protected by a submerged nozzle. This protects the molten metal from re-oxidation, which adversely affects its macrostructure, and gives the billet the enhanced quality required by customers for some special orders.
The rolling operations contributed eight new products to the company's product mix. These include 115x115 mm hot-rolled billets of 45Х1 steel and rounds with a diameter of 42 mm, which are in high demand, primarily in the engineering industry. The products were launched by professionals of the tube billet mill.
The steelworks has a special focus on products that were previously made at the company's Mariupol sites. Last year, Kamet-Steel's rolling operations successfully completed the task of restoring the partially lost product mix, which is in high demand among domestic customers. In particular, for the first time in Ukraine, the tube billet mill launched production of SVP-27 shaped sections. This so-called mine prop is designed to secure mine workings and is an essential element in the coal mining process, which is critical not only to the productivity of the process but also the safety of miners. SVP-27 passed the certification tests that confirmed the compliance of the rolled product with the national standard, and by the end of the year, nearly 2,000 tonnes of this product were shipped to customers.
The 400/200 mill had three new additions to its product mix in 2023. First of all, we are talking about rebar with a diameter of 36 mm - the "thickest" in the line of rebar produced by Kamet-Steel. Its main purpose is the rebuild of the country with steel; this type of high-strength rebar is widely used in construction, including the erection of high-rise buildings and the reconstruction of destroyed bridges.
The company also launched two types of wire rod: 7.5 mm in diameter from SAE 1008 steel and 8 mm in diameter from C80D2 steel. These products, which are used to make steel ropes, were manufactured throughout the year at the request of domestic customers.
"Last year, the rolling operations worked toward their key objectives to produce high-quality and competitive products and, despite all the economic, technical and logistical challenges of wartime, successfully expanded the product mix at all of the company's operating rolling mills. We increased efficiency of our operations, in particular, through the launch of high-margin products such as 100mm balls and SVP-27 sections. We stepped into the new year with equally ambitious plans and are already working on expanding our range of rolled products in several areas. After all, it is the entire metallurgical team's relentless drive for progress that enables the enterprise and the company to strengthen their market position and achieve important goals", Oleksandr OLIINYK, Kamet-Steel's chief rolling engineer, said.
