According to Tenova LOI Thermprocess, this second expansion will leave the plant with 24 annealing bases. It opened with 12 bases in 2012, and added four through a first expansion in 2015.

The facility is capable of processing hot- and cold-rolled strip in coils of up to 30 metric tons and in widths of between 150 mm and 1,350 mm. 

“This furnace plant is the only batch annealing plant in the world with fully automatic stacking of coils and intermediate convectors, an automatic coupling of all media and fully automatic operation of protective hoods, heating hoods, and cooling hoods,” Tenova said in a statement. “Except for one operator in the measuring station, no further operation personnel is required.”