LatemAluminium commissions SMS group to supply an aluminum cold rolling mill for its new plant in the Spanish province of Castilla y León
Summary
- High-end aluminum cold rolling mill including highly efficient cleaning and filter technology for environmentally friendly cold strip production
- The first aluminium coil is scheduled to be produced in April 2024
SMS group and Spanish aluminum manufacturer LatemAluminium have announced their partnership to bring about sustainable aluminum production in the province of Castilla y León in northern Spain. During the Aluminium trade fair in Düsseldorf, Macario Fernández, CEO of LatemAluminium, and Michael Schäfer, Executive Vice President Flat Products of SMS group, jointly presented the circular economy project for aluminum.
For the ambitious newcomer project on the aluminum market, SMS supplies a state-of-the-art aluminum cold rolling mill including ancillary facilities for environmentally friendly and sustainable plant operation.
The cold rolling mill is part of LatemAluminium’s major investment project to install plants for recycling aluminum and aluminum alloys and production facilities for aluminum products in the region of northern Spain. A melting plant for aluminum scrap that the Spanish manufacturer recently acquired has already started operation. A total of about 2,000 new jobs are expected to be created. The new cold rolling mill, coupled with expertise from SMS, will support LatemAluminium in bringing tailor-made aluminum products to market. The six-high mill, equipped with SMS group’s developed CVC® plus technology (Continuous Variable Crown) for work roll and intermediate roll shifting, combined with further actuators for flexible and precise roll gap setting, will be fully capable of producing cold strip in widths of up to 2,200 millimeters. The mill comes with fully automatic coil and spool handling for efficient operation. SMS group supplies a fully harmonized mechatronic plant solution, incorporating the mechanical equipment and the proven modules of the X-Pact® electrical and automation systems that are specifically dedicated to the process of aluminum rolling. The scope of supply further includes auxiliaries such as the rolling oil recovery system and the CO2 fire extinguishing system.
The advanced rolling technology is in line with LatemAluminium’s commitment to the environment. SMS group will supply a Multiplate® filter to clean the used rolling oil. An Airwash™ system that recovers rolling oil for economic and ecological reuse cleans the exhaust air.
The first coil is scheduled to be produced on the new aluminum cold rolling mill in April 2024.
Macario Fernández, CEO of LatemAluminium: “We can always count on SMS group’s technology and are looking forward to the production process.”
Michael Schäfer, Executive Vice President Flat Products at SMS group, stresses: “Europe is a key market for SMS group. Besides our long-term customers, we support newcomers like LatemAluminium with our expertise and economical and sustainable solutions for their successful market entry.”
SMS group is renowned worldwide for its future-oriented technologies and outstanding service for the metals industry. The company applies its 150 years of experience and its digital know-how to provide the industry continuously with innovative products and processes – even beyond its core business – and generates worldwide sales of around 2.6 billion euros. SMS is the right partner for challenging projects, and supports its customers throughout the lifecycle of their plants, enabling profitable and resource-efficient value creation chains. Paving the way for a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry is the company’s stated goal. As a global player with German roots, SMS takes responsibility for its 14,500 employees.