Zaporizhstal has completed a set of major repairs of the main rolling mill units in accordance with the annual capital investment programme. The plant spent over UAH230 million on major overhauls.
The overhaul of Continuous Sheet Rolling Mill-1680 and Slabbing-1150, and continuous pickling unit in Zaporizhstal’s hot and cold rolling shops was carried out 24/7 over two weeks. The extensive modernization of the rolling equipment engaged specialists from engineering and other business units, as well as teams from Metinvest-Promservice and contracting organizations including Etalonstroyservis, Galaktika, Erbau Group, Promenergospetsmontazh, Engineering-Service, Krivorozhpromtekhservis and Elektroremont.
“Reliable operation of equipment depends primarily on careful operation and timely maintenance. The completed overhauls will enhance the efficiency of the units, minimize the risk of unexpected downtime and reduce defects in the production process. The greatest challenge was not the complexity or scope of the work but setting up the right team to execute it: mobilization and migration have led to a significant shortage of experienced specialists, both within our team and among our partner contractors. Despite the challenges, we successfully organized safe and coordinated on-site operations involving around 850 specialists and completed the planned overhauls on schedule. I appreciate everyone’s responsible approach and the high-quality execution of their tasks,” said Taras Shevchenko, Acting General Director of Zaporizhstal.
The primary focus of the specialists working at Continuous Sheet Rolling Mill-1680 is the overhaul of gear and power reducers, comprehensive replacement of rolls, electric motors, hydraulic and lubrication systems, as well as the cassettes with support levers for the coiler. The specialists also carried out the replacement of a section of the mixed gas pipeline. A new bender, forming roller, stabilizers, grooves, shafts and pads were installed on the coilbox, and the electric motors of the stands were repaired, among other tasks. The seats for coiler No. 2 were restored using a combination of surfacing and milling techniques.
The replacement of roller table troughs and manipulator units at Slabbing-1150 mill was successfully completed. The seats for the horizontal stand roll bars and supports were restored using surfacing and milling techniques. The repair of the horizontal stand roll drive motors, including the replacement of bearings, was completed.
The main tasks carried out at CPL-4 included replacing the control system and power modules, compressor, coil feed rail track, trolley wheels and restoring the design position of the walking beam.
Additionally, the cold rolling shop is in the second stage of a major overhaul of CPL-4 hydrochloric acid regeneration unit, which is part of the shop’s environmental equipment and ensures the high-quality pickling of rolled products in recycled hydrochloric acid solutions. The specialists from the workshop and Zaporizhvognetryv are replacing the cyclone lining, its acid-resistant refractory bricking, the support ring and the pipe, which will ensure the reliable operation of the closed-loop pickling solution regeneration system. In the first stage of the overhaul, the reactor burners, return dust pipelines and other components were replaced.
It is worth reminding that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Zaporizhstal has invested more than UAH 1.2 billion to upgrade production equipment and treatment facilities that operate as an integrated complex. During the full-scale invasion, the programme focused on maintaining and upgrading equipment to ensure its stable and reliable operation under unforeseen conditions.