China’s Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Baosteel) has issued the final acceptance certificate (FAC) to SMS group for the installation of a coilbox in its 1880 mm hot strip mill, marking the near-completion of the project.
As a key subsidiary of China Baowu Steel Group, Baosteel is one of the world’s leading steel producers, offering a diverse range of carbon steel products. The company has operated its 1880 mm hot strip mill at the Shanghai Baoshan site since 2007.
The upgrade follows the successful installation of an SMS group coilbox at Baosteel Zhanjiang’s hot strip mill in 2021. Encouraged by its positive results, Baosteel adopted the same technology for its Baoshan facility.
To accommodate the new coilbox, the existing bar heater was removed while the edge heater remained unchanged. After just 40 days of shutdown for installation and integration, hot commissioning took place on January 20, 2024, with FAC granted in early December 2024.
The modernization has delivered significant benefits, including improved strip tail-end temperature, reduced rolling forces, and lower energy consumption, particularly advantageous for high-strength steel grades.
Additionally, Baosteel has expanded its product mix, gained new dimension capabilities, and minimized downtime caused by tail-end chewing. The new coilbox also enables Baosteel to produce a broader range of grain-oriented (GO) and non-grain-oriented (NGO) silicon steel grades, strengthening its position in the growing electrical steel market.
