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SSAB Dedicates New Q&T Line in Alabama

11/07/2012 - SSAB recently dedicated its newest queching line, a $300 million line in Axis, Ala., which will produce 220,000 tons per year of ultra high-strength steels.

Company executives, mill workers, contractors, customers and members of the media gathered at SSAB’s mill outside Mobile, Ala., for a dedication ceremony of the company’s newest quenching line, QL6, on 1 November 2012. The new line, representing an investment of US$300 million, will produce 220,000 tons per year of SSAB’s Weldox, Hardox and other branded ultrahigh-strength steels (UHSS).
 The dedication of the “most advanced Q&T line in the world [was] a very important moment for SSAB,” Martin Lindqvist, CEO of the Stockholm, Sweden-based steelmaker, told ceremony attendees.
 "Though the company is currently operating in a tough environment, SSAB has risen to the challenge, delivering new technology and new innovations to provide industries such as mining, construction and heavy equipment with high-strength plate for demanding applications," said Chuck Schmidt, president of SSAB Americas. The company anticipates shipping material from the new Q&T line to locations in North America, South America, Asia, and China in particular.
 Although overall demand has softened in Europe, China and North America due to economic and political uncertainty, Schmidt told AIST that demand for Q&T steels is still relatively strong. "The mining and trailer businesses in particular have held up well," he said.
 The start-up of QL6 was a long-awaited and proud day for SSAB employees in both the U.S. and Sweden who worked hard from project concept through implementation. The new state-of-the-art line will help the company meet its goal of making steel for a “stronger, lighter and more sustainable world,” commented Paul Wilson, vice president of operations for SSAB Americas.
 A tour of the 0.8-km-long (0.5-mile) facility revealed equipment was provided from suppliers around the world, including Sweden, Finland, Italy, Denmark, Germany, China, as well as many locations in the U.S., such as Pittsburgh, Chicago, Wisconsin and Michigan. Equipment was sourced from many companies; among them: Konecranes, Virginia Crane, Danieli, Tenova, Ernst, Amtech and SSAB itself.