Danieli said the mill is unique in that it can run in endless production mode and produce a wide mix of steel grades and strip dimensions – in thicknesses ranging from 0.8 mm to 12.7 mm and in widths ranging from 900 mm to 1,600 mm.

“For the first time ever, coil-to-coil and endless, thermo-mechanical and multi-phase, ultra-thin and thick products all will be possible in a single production line, making both value-added niche products and commercial-grade products,” the company said.

Hot tests of the caster began on schedule in mid-April. Within a few days, the caster was turning out 110-mm thick, 1,420-mm wide slabs in low- and medium-carbon grades, Danieli said. Rolling tests began at the end of the month.

Danieli said the start-up is a milestone in modern flat-products production.

“The Danieli Universal Endless layout configuration, together with effective and optimized energy consumption, now represents the most extensive application of Danieli’s concept of production flexibility,” the company said.

The mill is designed to produce 2.1 million metric tons annually. 

In a separate development, Chinese special bar quality maker Chengde Jianlong Special Steel has signed a contract with Danieli Automation for its Q3-Intelligence business analytics solution.

The project, which is to be completed in 18 months, is the first step of the steelmaker's digital transformation strategy, which was jointly developed with the Danieli Automation DIGI&MET division, Danieli said in a statement.  

"Q3-Intelligence will give Chengde Jianlong the ability to measure, through a comprehensive library of key performance indicators based on specific Danieli process know-how, all the performance figures of ... 13 individual plant processes, including steelmaking, casting and rolling," Danieli said.