According to SMS, the line will be designed to produce 360,000 tons of high-strength strip for the auto sector. It will be able to coat strips in widths of up to 1,580 mm and in thicknesses of between 0.6 and 3.0 mm. 

The project includes two payoff reels, a welder, a cleaning section, a skinpass stand, a tension leveler, a vertical roll coater, a sidetrimmer with scrap chopper, an inspection station, oiling machine, flying shear and two recoilers.

SMS will design the line, build the core components, and supply the electrical and automation packages. Some components will be manufactured in local shops, however.  

SMS said it also will outfit the line with a FOEN air knife system, which will have a contact-free edge mask system, automatic gap width adjustment and high-definition cameras for continuous quality monitoring. 

"As Shougang Jingtang wants to use the line also for the purpose of developing new materials, the exit section will be designed to permit steel strips with a tensile strength of up to 1,500 MPa to be processed," SMS said. “This demand has to be considered in particular in the design of the skinpass stand, tension leveler and side-trimming unit. A special tension leveler will be installed which comes with high tensions and, additionally, with an extended correction roll unit."

Industrial engineering group Fives earlier this week announced that it had won a contract for the galvanizing line's furnace. 

Start-up is scheduled for 2019.