Activating Your Ideas

01 Jul 2010 CW Team

Outokumpu's newly inaugurated Chinese service centre in Kunshan marks its future growth prospects in India and other growth markets of Asia.

Outokumpu, the global leader in duplex grades inaugurated their Coil and Plate Service centre on June 1, 2010. This new Chinese service centre in Kunshan serves as an ideal platform for the company's future growth in India and other growth markets of Asia. This new state-of-the-art facility is equipped with the latest technology and offers a wide range of processing solutions including cut to length for heavy coil, and plasma, laser and water jet cutting to custom shapes and profiles.

Service on hand

The service centre is well placed to support Outokumpu's strategy to expand operations in Asia and to serve the end-users and project customers with value added special products, along with adding a high level of flexibility in terms of both product dimensions and delivery schedules.

The product offerings consist mainly of special grades, especially duplex, which are developed for the most demanding applications in industries such as power, energy, chemical, petrochemical, transportation and pulp and paper.

The business hub

Exploring for an opportunity to have products available closer to its customers in India, the service centre enables Outokumpu to provide quick and tailored deliveries together with local support in material selection and technical specifications. The stainless steel processed in Kunshan service centre is mainly produced at the company's Avesta and Degerfors business units.

With €€ 20 million investment, Kunshan service centre has the capacity to stock and process 30,000 tonnes of stainless steel with processing facilities including cut-to-length lines, water jet cutting machine, plasma cutting and laser cutting machines.

Coil to cut to length sheets

This line has been specified to cut Duplex Stainless Steel from 1.5 mm to 13 mm thick and can easily handle standard austenitic stainless steel up to 15 mm thick. Any sheet length from 1 meter to 15 meters is possible. Small quantity orders are easily achievable from this very flexible ultra-modern line. Also, an order for the exact sheet lengths can be placed to improve overall raw material yield.

Plasma cutting

The latest technology, large scale plasma cutting equipment is capable to work on a cutting area as large as 3m x 15m. Plasma cutting is carried out under water and this improves flatness and straightness of the final components and immunises the heat affected zone. You can choose special tolerances using a slower cut if desired.

Water jet cutting

This modern large-scale water jet cutting equipment is designed to be your first choice when you need large and heavy stainless components with the highest quality cut edges and a 'near net shape' finish. The machine can cut profiles from 1mm up to 150 mm thick on a bed built to support 6m long and 3m wide plates. Water jet cutting gives very tight tolerances and smooth cutting surfaces without any heat input. Neither oxidation nor residual stresses are added and there is no hear affected zone.

Laser cutting

Laser cutting is a fast and high quality cutting technology ideally suited to complex or high precision shapes and profiles often from thinner gauge plate or sheet. This equipment can cut stainless steel for you from 1mm up to 25 mm thick on beds capable of supporting sheets 2m wide and 6m long.

Providing solutions

With quick and customised product deliveries to you, Outokumpu looks forward to strengthening its ongoing business relationship. Wherever you are in the world, you can find solutions to your stainless steel questions at Outokumpu - a company that believes in activating your ideas.

(Communication by the management of the company)