On Monday, October 16, Duferco Travi e Profilati launched its new SBM (Smart Beam Manufacturing) rolling mill in San Zeno Naviglio, Italy.
The plant, designed and built by Germany's SMS Group, is at the forefront of sustainability. It will be powered entirely by renewable energy and will allow indirect CO2 savings of 28,000 mt per year. In addition, the reheating furnace is gas-fired and is set up to use hydrogen. "Duferco's investment is a demonstration of how Italian industry believes in the future and sustainability," said Carlo Bonomi, president of Confindustria, the main association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy.
The €250 million investment, the largest in recent decades in Italy, will enable the verticalization of steel production at the San Zeno site. The plant has a potential capacity of 1 million mt per year, has level 2 automation, and uses artificial intelligence to manage and optimize the entire production flow. The rolling mill will create 150 jobs.