Furnace upgrade to begin

The new furnace will reduce fuel use by 37.5 percent per ton produced.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WARREN -- WCI Steel is investing $36.7 million in a new walking beam slab reheat furnace at its hot strip mill that will increase quality and productivity while reducing operating, maintenance and energy costs.
The furnace reheats the slabs after they come out of the caster so they can be rolled into coils. The new furnace will lift and move the slabs rather than push them as the current furnaces do.
Company officials say construction is expected to begin immediately, with project completion set for January 2008.
The new walking beam furnace will replace three pusher-type furnaces now in operation at the strip mill.
During construction, the strip mill will operate with two of its three furnaces.
WCI President Patrick G. Tatom said the new furnace will employ state-of-the-art combustion control technology that will reduce electricity usage by 25 percent per ton produced and, overall, reduce fuel consumption by 37.5 percent per ton produced.
Significance
"The walking beam furnace is the centerpiece of our strategic capital plan to increase margins, grow our custom product business and enhance our operational efficiency," Tatom said.
"Operating costs will be reduced through improved energy efficiency, better material yields and lower maintenance costs, while our product offerings will increase due to the furnace's expanded capabilities," he said.
David A. Howard, WCI vice president-commercial, said the walking beam furnace will allow WCI to roll longer slabs, from 28 feet to up to 33.5 feet, and meet market demand for larger coil sizes.
In addition, the furnace will enhance quality by providing consistent, uniformly heated slabs for rolling and reducing surface defects such as scale and skid tears, officials said.
"The walking beam furnace is a customer-driven initiative," Howard said.
"Once in operation, we will provide a higher quality product and have the opportunity to grow our custom hot-rolled business. At the same time, we will be able to address our customers' general need for larger coils," he said.
Also included in the project scope is the expansion of heat retention boxes to accept larger steel slabs, an upgrade of shipping cranes and an upgrade to the shipping floor online coil scales.
WCI is an integrated steelmaker producing more than 185 grades of custom and commodity flat-rolled steel at its Warren facility. WCI products are used by steel service centers, converters and the automotive and construction markets.
The company has nearly 1,600 employees.