Sheffield Forgemasters International has won a £1.75m contract to make giant <link _top>castings for a massive plate mill, destined for Russia.
The Brightside Lane firm is making four <link _top>castings that will be bolted together to create the <link _top>housing for the mill, which is being built by German <link _top>steel plant manufacturer SMS Demag for Russian <link _top>steel giant, United Metallurgical Company.
When complete, the mill will weigh more than 1,000 tonnes and be able to roll plates up to six metres wide – twice the conventional plate width.
Forgemasters' chief executive, Dr Graham Honeyman, said: "The contract for SMS Demag builds on two contracts Forgemasters won 18 months ago to produce the same style of rolling mill <link _top>housings for <link _top>steel production in India.
"We are witnessing increasing demand for ever larger and heavier products as the global economy accelerates.
"Nations like India, China and Russia have massive requirements to feed their respective domestic markets, and Forgemasters is one of a select few companies across the globe capable of creating these vast <link _top>steel producing components."
The contract will provide Russia with the latest generation of mill for producing <link _top>steel plate. By producing larger plates it will be possible for the Russians to ships and other large structures made from <link _top>steel more economically by using fewer <link _top>welds.
