March 2007 — Altos Hornos de Mexico SAB de CV (AHMSA), Mexico, recently awarded a major project to the Siemens Group Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) for the expansion of their meltshop and plate-production facilities in Monclova, Coahuila. T

Siemens will supply the steelmaking, dedusting and casting facilities, and will upgrade and convert the existing plate mill into a Steckel mill. The new and upgraded facilities will allow AHMSA to increase their crude steel production by approximately 1.2 million tonne/year, and their current production of plates from 500,000 to a total of 1,000,000 tonne/year. The contract value for Siemens VAI is EUR 210 million (USD 275 million).

For the meltshop expansion, Siemens VAI will design, engineer and supply a 150-ton electric arc furnace capable of producing 1.2 million tonne/year, a 150-tonne ladle furnace, an alloy/additive system, and dedusting facilities. Siemens VAI will also supply a single-strand, dynamic soft reduction slab caster capable of casting 96-inch (2438-mm) wide slabs, and will upgrade the existing plate mill into a Steckel mill. Siemens VAI will also provide the automation systems, media supply (electrical and water supply) and training.

The entire project is scheduled to be completed in mid-2009.

Located in Monclova in the center of the state of Coahuila, AHMSA is a leading integrated iron and steel producer in Mexico and the only producer of plates in the country. The company produced more than three million tons of steel in 2006, the bulk of which was flat-steel products comprising hot-rolled coils, cold-rolled coils, tinplate, tin-free steel and wide plate. The plates are used in shipbuilding, in the construction and petroleum industries as well as for the production of machinery, tools, pressurized vessels and containers, etc.

Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH & Co, Linz/Austria, will carry out the contract for the meltshop extension, and Siemens VAI Metals Technologies UK Limited will supply the Steckel mill.

Metals Technologies (MT), a division of the Siemens Group Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S), is one of the world's leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron and steel industry as well as for the flat-rolling sector of the aluminum industry and for open-cast mining. MT, which was created from the integration of Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau, Linz/Austria, and the electrical engineering product business and automation solutions of Siemens, provides a comprehensive range of supplies and services for all related technological processes and integrated automation solutions for the entire life-cycle of metallurgical plants.

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) is the integrator of systems and solutions for industrial and infrastructure facilities and global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and the entire life cycle. I&S uses its own products and systems and process technologies to enhance productivity and improve competitiveness of across a wide range of industries. In fiscal 2006 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 36,200 people worldwide and achieved total sales of EUR 8.819 billion.