Ipsco Inc. has successfully produced 123-inch wide hot rolled coils at its Mobile, Ala., steelworks, successfully expanding its product line and operating flexibility.

"We believe that, coupled with our wide slab casting capability, Ipsco has the widest coil production offering in North America," stated Peter MacPhail, Ipsco's Vice President of Primary Operations. Ipsco's newest steel mill, the Mobile Steelworks, has been increasing its product capabilities steadily since its start-up in 2001. Production rates and product capabilities have consistently exceeded expectations through that period.

The key benefit of this development lies in the potential productivity gains for Ipsco. "There is a significant potential to increase output of the steel mill by rolling wider widths to be slit down for narrow coil applications with external customers or at our own pipe mills and cut-to-length lines," said MacPhail.

Ipsco can also utilize the wide coils to make longitudinally welded high grade steel line pipe up to 36-inch in diameter at very high speeds.

"While these developments are being evaluated as part of our on going strategic positioning, we are pleased to have demonstrated the steel mill's capability to operate effectively at these
widths," MacPhail added.

Ipsco operates steel mills at three locations and pipe mills at six locations in Canada and the United States. As a low-cost North American steel producer, Ipsco has a combined annual steelmaking capacity of 3,500,000 tons and provides further processing at its five cut-to-length lines located in both the U.S. and Canada. The company's tubular facilities produce a wide range of tubular products including line pipe, oil and gas well casing and tubing, standard pipe and hollow structurals.