Zhongshou Special Steel puts ESP line into operation
2026-09-08 11:16:53 [Print]
On September 3, the world's first thick-slab endless strip production (ESP) line for ultra-thin, endless hot-rolled coils was officially commissioned at Zhongshou Special Steel Group's Luannan production base in Hebei Province.
The new line features core Arvedi ESP equipment supplied by Italy's Primetals Technologies and adopts an innovative "4-roughing + 5-finishing" nine stand configuration. It is the 11th ESP line globally and the 9th in China, and the only one in the world capable of stable production using thick slabs.
Designed for extreme efficiency and sustainability, the line eliminates traditional gas fired reheating furnaces by directly rolling from electric arc furnace molten steel using its inherent heat – consuming no fossil fuels throughout the process. With a compact footprint of just 180 metres – far shorter than a conventional 600 metre hot rolling mill – it consumes only 120 kWh per tonne of steel, cutting energy use by 50%–70% and water consumption by 70%–80% compared to traditional routes, while reducing land occupation by two thirds. The entire journey from molten steel to finished coil takes just five minutes, with a material yield exceeding 98%.
The line can stably produce hot rolled coils in thicknesses ranging from 0.7 mm to 12.7 mm, with a minimum gauge of 0.6 mm achievable at the extreme. The finished products rival cold rolled steel in surface quality and dimensional accuracy.
The new line features core Arvedi ESP equipment supplied by Italy's Primetals Technologies and adopts an innovative "4-roughing + 5-finishing" nine stand configuration. It is the 11th ESP line globally and the 9th in China, and the only one in the world capable of stable production using thick slabs.
Designed for extreme efficiency and sustainability, the line eliminates traditional gas fired reheating furnaces by directly rolling from electric arc furnace molten steel using its inherent heat – consuming no fossil fuels throughout the process. With a compact footprint of just 180 metres – far shorter than a conventional 600 metre hot rolling mill – it consumes only 120 kWh per tonne of steel, cutting energy use by 50%–70% and water consumption by 70%–80% compared to traditional routes, while reducing land occupation by two thirds. The entire journey from molten steel to finished coil takes just five minutes, with a material yield exceeding 98%.
The line can stably produce hot rolled coils in thicknesses ranging from 0.7 mm to 12.7 mm, with a minimum gauge of 0.6 mm achievable at the extreme. The finished products rival cold rolled steel in surface quality and dimensional accuracy.
