According to Taylor-Winfield, the alliance grants Taylor-Winfield exclusive rights to sell and build the third-generation X-Roll coil-joining welder. The X-Roll welder is designed to join common and advanced high-strength steel grades in pickle lines, pickling line tandem cold mills and other heavy-gauge process lines. It overcomes variation in strip shape while providing real-time feedback in a cycle time of under 60 seconds. 

“This agreement represents a unique opportunity for Taylor-Winfield,” said Donnie Wells, president of Taylor-Winfield Technologies. “Not only do we gain access to the proprietary design of the X-Roll laser welder, but we have also become the exclusive manufacturer and service provider for this machine. As the steel industry continues its transformation driven by advanced technology, we are excited to add the cutting-edge X-Roll to our coil joining offerings.”
 
In turn, SMS group said it expects the alliance will yield additional sales and enhance service for owners of existing machines.

“For SMS group the agreement simplifies the completion of two strategic goals: to expand our business by additional sales of our X-Roll^® Laser Welder and to strengthen our service of already installed machines and all future installations,” said Markus Jaenecke, vice president of processing lines at SMS group.