Page 41 - ITAtube Journal 1 2023

Press releases
Order is awarded to SMS group: a glob- ally active plant builder based in North Rhine-Westphalia
SMS group, a company from North Rhine-Westphalia, has been awarded the contract for the ground-breaking plant at thyssenkrupp Steel. SMS employs a good 14,500 people at around 100 locations. As
a specialist for steel industry production plants, it is actively helping shape the trans- formation of the industry. The order that has now been placed is also historic for SMS: It is the largest single order in the company’s history spanning more than 150 years.
High-tech for carbon-neutral steel pro- duction
In pursuit of the best technological solution, thyssenkrupp will be the first steelmaker in the world to combine a 100-percent hydro- gen-capable direct reduction plant with inno- vative melters. Positioning the two melters immediately adjacent to the direct reduction plant allows the solid input stock produced there to be converted into molten iron immediately; this makes the entire process particularly efficient. In addition, the spatial requirements and constraints a complex iron and steel plant involves can be taken into
ITAtube Journal May 2023
account. The direct reduction plant is based on MIDREX Flex technology. SMS will also de- liver the innovative melters, slag granulation and other auxiliary equipment, for example water recycling. SMS is building the plant on an EPC basis. This means the company bears overall responsibility for the engineering, pro- curement and construction of the plant. In addition, significant further work is required relating to structural and civil engineering, infrastructure and media supply.
The innovative concept ensures consist- ently high product quality. This is because
it is seamlessly integrated into the existing iron and steel plant, thereby allowing all subsequent process steps from the steel mill onward to be maintained. As a result, the existing plant structure can be used ef- ficiently. Customers will continue to receive the complete, high-quality product portfolio with the premium quality they are accus- tomed to.
Major step toward innovative, industrial climate change mitigation
The cooperation between thyssenkrupp Steel and SMS also sends a strong signal for North Rhine-Westphalia as an indus-
(From left to right: Bern- hard Osburg, CEO thys- senkrupp Steel; Burkhard Dahmen, CEO SMS group; Hendrik Wüst, Minis-
ter President of North Rhine-Westphalia; Martina Merz, CEO thyssenkrupp; Sören Link, Mayor of Duisburg; Tekin Nasikkol, Chairman of the General Works Council at thyssenk- rupp Steel)).
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