Oct. 9, 2006 — Steel Dynamics Inc. placed an order with SMS Meer, Italy, for a 200 tons/hour walking beam furnace for its works in Columbia City, Ind. The new reheat unit will supply hot beam blanks and blooms to a new medium section mill.

SMS Meer’s scope of supply comprises a walking beam furnace with a capacity of 200 tons/hour for 15-meter long, 7- x 7-inch or 10- x 8-inch beam blanks and blooms, with the potential to also produce 6- x 6-inch billets the future. SMS Meer will also supply charging and discharging machines and all auxiliary facilities.

SMS Meer says the new furnace will ensure excellent temperature uniformity and higher output rates. The unit, which features low specific energy consumption, was designed with particular care given to environmental protection aspects,

The walking beam furnace is scheduled to go on stream at the end of 2007.

SMS Meer SpA forms part of the Tube, Long Product and Forging Technology Business Area of the SMS group. SMS GmbH is the holding for a group of companies internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering relating to the processing of steel, non-ferrous metals and plastics. The group is divided into the Business Areas of Metallurgical Plant and Rolling Mill Technology, Tube, Long Product and Forging Technology and Plastics Technology. In the year 2005 some 9,250 employees worldwide generated a turnover of about EUR 2.33 billion.