TPT July 2017

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I NDUS T RY
14 JULY 2017
Jobs secured as Liber ty House takes control
of Tata Speciality Steels business
INTERNATIONAL industrials and metals
group Liberty House announced in May
that it would be creating around 300
new steel jobs and making multi-million
pound investments to secure the future
of five sites across the UK.
The news came as Liberty formally
completed the £100mn deal to
acquire the Speciality Steels division
of Tata Steel UK, protecting the jobs
of 1,700 existing staff at three major
sites at Rotherham, Stocksbridge
and Brinsworth in South Yorkshire,
smaller sites in Bolton, Lancashire and
Wednesbury in the West Midlands, and
two distribution centres in China. It also
announced expansion plans expected
to generate an additional 300 production
jobs in the business.
Speciality Steels produces a
range of high-value steels used in
the manufacture of vehicles, aircraft,
industrial machinery and equipment for
the oil and gas industry. Liberty said it
would invest up to £20mn in new plant
and equipment in the first year alone
to boost competitiveness and secure
international market leadership for the
business, which is being re-launched as
Liberty Speciality Steels. The business
will increase output substantially at
the electric arc furnaces, casting shop
and bar mill in Rotherham, with larger
plans across the
wider Speciality
business in the
years ahead.
Production from
the arc furnaces
is expected to
rise to over one
million tonnes
per annum, and
there are plans
for the bar mill to
roll over 400,000
tonnes per year.
In addition, the business will grow its
position in the aerospace markets,
utilising recent capital investments at
Stocksbridge and investing in additional
capacity and new technology.
The acquisition marks a major
step forward for Liberty’s Greensteel
strategy as it gives the group the
largest arc furnace capacity in the
UK, a key component in its plan to
increase low-carbon steel production
based on recycling metal in furnaces
powered by renewable energy. As
part of the Greensteel strategy, sister
company SIMEC is actively considering
investment in bio-diesel power
generation at Speciality Steel sites.
Liberty House Group – UK
Website:
Precision components are
made at Liberty’s advanced
machining centre
The company claims to now have the largest arc furnace capacity in the UK
Supplying ERW mill lines
NAKATA Mfg Co, together with
Mitsubishi Corporation, has been
selected as the supplier of two ERW
mill lines to Vyksa Steel Works (VSW),
a Russian steel top pipe maker, for
maximum outer diameters of 177.8mm
(7") and 245mm (10").
The project covers the setting up of all
equipment from entry section to finishing
section of the ERW pipe plant, including
the Nakata patented FFX Mill system.
Start-up of the 7" mill line is scheduled
for the end of 2018, and the 10" line by
the end of 2019.
Vyksa’s new pipe lines are aimed at
increasing productivity, and improving
product quality and energy efficiency.
Nakata believes it was awarded the
supply contract because of its record of
supplying a number of ERW pipe lines
for diverse projects around the world,
as well as its technical features with
highly evaluated pipes and reliable weld
quality. 50 sets of FFX Mill lines have
been installed in the last ten years.
Nakata expects the carrying out of
this project to strengthen its position in
Russia.
Nakata Mfg Co Ltd – Japan
Fax:+81 6 6303 1905
Email:
Website: