In the course of implementing its growth strategy, Benteler Stahl/Rohr (BSR) situated in Paderborn, Germany, concluded a contract with Danieli for a new turnkey 4 ½" seamless tube mill in the U.S. The mill will be built in Shreveport, La., and will be one of the largest production plants in the history of this region.
 
The mill is designed for an annual capacity of 320,000 tons per annum and will produce high-quality seamless tubes with excellent tolerances and flawless material properties according to API and ASTM-standards.
 
Within the framework of its cooperation with Danieli Centro Tube of Milan, Italy, Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co. KG headquartered in Hilden, Germany, will supply an extracting block type EXB 315/3 and a stretch reducing block type SRB 315/30 as essential components of the hot rolling mill. Thereby, BSR has opted for rolling blocks with a modular design which are equipped with both non-adjustable and adjustable roll stands. The stands are operated with individually driven rolls and as they are interchangeable they can be used in the EXB as well as in the SRB on every stand position.
 
The particularities of this design (i.e. the pass remote control for the adjustable stands, the quick-changing systems for stands and rolls) considerably minimize the number of changing stands and thus the investment and operating costs, which are otherwise required for optimum production.
 
The automation system enables the visualization of the measured data of the rolling mill while at the same time allows the operator to control the operation, minimizing heavy ends and wall thickness variation. This translates into a consistently high production of seamless tubes of top quality and at the same time reducing operational mistakes to an utmost extent.
 
Production of the new seamless tube mill is scheduled for the second half of 2015.