The Ukrainian flat steel producer Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol (Ilyich), a part of steel and rolled products division of the Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest, commissioned on December 30, 2010 its sintering machine No. 8.
Accordingly, Ilyich had stopped its sintering machine No. 8 on November 22, 2010, for the planned overhaul estimated at a cost UAH 25 million (about $3.14 million).
The planned overhaul was directed towards the increase of the sintering machine's production target to 3,000 mt of agglomerate per day.
Ilyich's sinter plant is one of the largest in Ukraine and in Europe, and includes 12 sintering machines with sintering area of 85 m3 each. It provides the blast furnace plant with a necessary quantity of preliminary processed raw material, and also supplies its products to other metallurgical enterprises.