Rautaruukki Corp. recently completed interim repairs to the No. 2 Blast Furnace at the company’s Raahe Steel Works.

Repairs had been started on July 5, and the blast furnace was shut down for 30 days. Production was started up three days ahead of schedule. Since the stoppage was shorter than planned, the loss in steel production will be 13,000 tonnes less than the original estimate.

The new cooling system increases blast furnace capacity by 5% and improves production efficiency by the same amount. The interim repairs ensure the blast furnace can continue operating until 2012.

Rautaruukki produces total solutions for the construction, mechanical engineering and metal fabrication industries. The group has a wide selection of products and services in metal products. With operations in 22 countries, Rautaruukki has net sales of EUR 3 billion and employs about 12,000 people.