OREANDA-NEWS. Severstal-SMC-Vsevolozhsk, a joint venture of Mitsui and OAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading steel and steel-related mining companies, began production in December 2013 with its first 140 tonnes of blank metal parts.

Two production lines are currently operating as part of a trial at Severstal-SMC-Vsevolozhsk, producing cut-to-length rolled steel from feed metal between 0.5mm and 3.2mm thick and up to 1900 mm in width. The company’s in line die (800 tonnes) and stamp can produce a variety of steel parts including simple and contoured blanks.

As part of the production trial, the company also has a slitting line currently operating, which produces strip from hot rolled, hot rolled pickled and galvanized steel from feed metal with minimum thickness — 0.3 to 4.5mm and maximum width — 1850mm.

The company’s initial product is cold rolled steel for the home appliances sector.

Two more lines will be commissioned in 2014 to produce welded blanks and cut-to-length line (mini-CTL) from feed metal 0.4mm to 2.3mm thick. Initial trial runs are scheduled for Q1 2014 with SMC-Vsevolozhsk’s production expected to reach approximately 150 000 tonnes at full capacity.

Dmitry Goroshkov, Marketing and Sales Director of Severstal’s Russian Steel Division, commented: “Approximately 60% of SMC-Vsevolozhsk products will be delivered to automakers, with the remainder sold to construction and machine building companies and the home appliances sector.”