According to SMS group, the new line at the Ghent, Ky., facility is designed to produce 500,000 tons of pickled and galvanized hot-rolled strip per year. However, the line reached 70% of production capacity during commissioning last year, which leads to the possibility that it will exceed designed capacity this year, SMS group said. 

The line can produce strip up to 6.35 mm thick and 1,854 mm wide and operates at 180 tons per hour. 

“The ‘heat-to-coat’ technology for hot strip galvanizing is characterized by the compact and operator-friendly U-shape design, the turbulence pickling system, the high-power inductive heating system, the FOEN® galvanizing equipment and the Drever after-pot cooling system,” SMS group said.