The Chinese iron and steel producer Guangxi Liuzhou Iron & Steel Group Ltd. awarded Siemens VAI Metals Technologies S.A.S., Saint Chamond, France a 6.5-million-euro contract for the modernization of a cold-rolling mill in Liuzhou. The project features the coupling of a local Chinese pickling line with a 5-stand cold-rolling mill relocated from the U.K. Start-up of the upgraded cold mill is scheduled for January 2008.

Guangxi Liuzhou Iron & Steel Group Ltd. is a long-product steel producer based in Guangxi Province, China. In order to be able to expand their business activities to include hot- and cold-rolled flat products, the group purchased a 5-stand tandem cold-rolling mill in the U.K. and relocated it to the city of Liuzhou in Guangxi Province. Siemens VAI will install and modernize this mill section and couple it with a new pickling section designed and supplied by a Chinese company (WISDRI Engineering and Research Incorporated Ltd.) into an endless production facility. With the start-up of the revamped line, Guangxi Liuzhou Iron & Steel will be able to produce a total of 1,400,000 tons of carbon-steel coils per year, which will find use in the construction industry, for non-exposed automotive parts and for household appliances.

The project scope includes engineering, complete renewal of the mill stands (with the exception of the housings and cylinders), the installation of a ?Clecim? scale breaker in the pickling line, the installation of roll-force cylinders on all mill stands and the supply of a rotary shear and mandrels for the carrousel coiler. Guangxi Liuzhou Iron & Steel will be responsible for the supply of entry and exit equipment for the mill as well as for all other new equipment for the mill stands.

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