Siemens’ Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group recently received an order from Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) for the modernization of their hot-rolling mill at Bokaro, India.

As part of a modernization project to increase overall mill availability, production capacity and product quality, the I&S Division VAI will implement a number of improvement measures on the hot strip mill, including overall refurbishment of the seven-stand four-high finishing mill, installation of work-roll shifting and bending to improve strip flatness, and installation of new bending blocks and work-roll chock assemblies. VAI will also manage erection, start-up and commissioning.

Local equipment supply will be carried out by VAI Engineering & Automation Pvt Ltd., India. Modernization activities will be performed in two phases during the summer shutdowns in 2006 and 2007. Upgrading of three mill stands will take place during the first phase in 2006, with the remaining four mill stands being upgraded during the second phase in 2007.

The hot mill modernization project is scheduled for completion by mid-2007.

Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), India, is a company of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the leading steel producer in India. The facility produces over 4.5 million tonnes of flat-steel products per yea, including hot-rolled coils, hot-rolled plates, hot-rolled sheets, cold-rolled coils, cold-rolled sheets, tin mill black plates (TMBP) and galvanized plain and corrugated (GP/GC) sheets. The carbon steels produced at BSP include drawing, deep drawing, extra-deep drawing, boiler and tinplate steel grades.

VAI, a division of Siemens’ Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group, is one of the world's leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron and steel industry as well as for the flat-product-rolling sector of the aluminum industry. VAI, derived from the company VOEST-ALPINE Industrieanlagenbau, Austria, 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 VAI Business Area "Rolling and Processing" supplies complete turnkey mills, hot- and cold-rolling complexes, plant modernizations as well as the linking of individual process steps. This includes the latest process models, technological packages and automation systems.

Siemens’ Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group is the integrator of Siemens systems and solutions for industrial and infrastructure facilities and a global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and their entire life cycle. I&S uses the electrical and technical products of the company groups to enhance productivity and to improve the competitiveness of companies in the sectors of metallurgy, water treatment, pulp and paper, oil and gas, marine engineering, open-cast mining, intelligent traffic systems and industrial services. In the fiscal year 2004 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 30,000 people worldwide.