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Currently limited to cutting steel coils with yield strengths of 700MPa or less, the upgrade to 1350MPa/6.5mm thickness capability will enable the SSAB Steel Service Center in Ghedi to supply cut-to-length sheets of higher strength grades from coils, including most hot-rolled strip Hardox abrasion-resistant steels and Strenx structural steels.
The upgraded capacity means SSAB will ship a greater range of steels to Italy as coils, which is faster and more efficient than shipping cut lengths in packaged bundles from Sweden. The Ghedi facility will also be better able to handle low-to-mid production volumes in higher strength grades for a variety of sheet lengths.
The Ghedi cut-to-length (CTL) line can already handle coils as wide as 2050mm, assuring compatibility with SSAB’s future mini-mills, which will be able to produce coils up to 2-meters wide.
“We’ve been thinking about this CTL line upgrade ever since SSAB’s mills in Sweden starting producing higher strength steels,” says David Díaz Blanco, Technical Director for Central & Northern Europe and Central Asia. “Back in 1995, the Ghedi CTL line was groundbreaking in its capabilities for the region. Now, with the 2025 upgrade, we’re going to meet current and future demands — SSAB doesn’t even have a structural 1300MPa steel in coil form yet, but we’re working on it.”
“Ghedi customers are going to notice immediate improvements in their cut steel sheets,” notes Sergio Sacchi, Technical Manager for FIMI Machinery. FIMI has a 45-year history of close cooperation with SSAB’s coil processing lines, first in Sweden then Italy. “With three new brushing machines connected to a filtration system, the scale (iron oxide) produced by the straightener and levelers will be extracted to protect workers, machinery, and the environment. There will be less imprints on the surface, which means improved surface quality. And due to better stress removal, the sheets will be flatter, which is key for SSAB Laser grades.”
“I want to emphasize this is a great joint effort between SSAB Europe and SSAB Special Steels,” points out Julia Seeber, Managing Director, SSAB Swedish Steel S.p.A. “Working together will enable us to expand our local service offering — cut-to-length sheets in higher strength grades — while improving both product availabilities and quality. Innovations like cassette-mounted rollers will speed up maintenance: roller replacements take a day or more now, but will only take an hour with the cassettes — and they’ll improve worker safety.”
The 2025 upgrade is scheduled for the Center’s normal maintenance period, July through September.
The SSAB Steel Service Center in Ghedi manufactures cut-to-length steel from well-known SSAB brands like SSAB Laser, Strenx, SSAB Domex and SSAB Boron and has an annual processing capacity of 80,000 tonnes — now all produced with fossil-free solar energy.
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SSAB Steel Service Center Ghedi, Italy - SSAB
For further information, please contact:
Julia Seeber, SSAB Swedish Steel S.p.A., [email protected], phone: +39 030 9058811
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