Investment in tailored service: thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe opens new narrow strip center for stainless steel in Mannheim

thyssenkrupp Materials Processing is opening its new narrow strip center for stainless steel at its Mannheim site. The company is investing a total of €5 million in expanding its range of services in response to the increasing demand for additional services in this product area. Following the completion of construction work at Mannheim's Rheinauhafen harbor, the first stainless steel strip will roll off the GEORG precision slitting line this week.

Strips up to 25 kilometers long

Just as at thyssenkrupp Materials Processing's carbon steel sites in Willich and Dąbrowa Górnicza, customers can have up to 25 kilometers of long strip produced at the new center in addition to individual rings. This is made possible by the connected coiling of packs, in which several narrow strips are welded together and coiled in such a way that they achieve set-up advantages in the subsequent value-adding stages and can therefore be used particularly efficiently.

"In addition to our high quality standards for narrow strip production, we attach particular importance to individual service and the further development of our services in close dialogue with our customers," stresses Andreas Schwöbel, head of the stainless steel business unit at thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe GmbH.

With this investment, the company is taking an important step in the strategic development of thyssenkrupp Materials Services, the holding company of thyssenkrupp Materials Processing. With "Materials as a Service" the materials distribution and service provider aims to systematically link the supply of raw materials and materials with individual services, above all in the area of supply chain services.

In the future the new stainless steel narrow strip center will increasingly serve small-batch requirements such as sampling and spare parts. In doing so, the company will support customers in the resource-saving use of materials, as small-batch production helps reduce inventory levels and thus capital employed at the customer.

Diverse industrial applications

In addition to the automotive sector, a wide range of industrial applications, such as joining technology companies and tube manufacturers, benefit from the new production possibilities, which range from 0.4 to 4.0 mm strip thickness and 8 to 650 mm strip width. In addition to the precision in production, the main advantages are the line speed and the fast delivery capability: The new, fully automated slitting line from GEORG produces the fine strips at a speed of up to 400 meters per minute. In addition, it meets the most stringent requirements for cut edge geometry and features material-friendly conveying systems and packaging equipment that optimally protect the stainless steel slit strips until further processing.

A wide range is offered in the area of packaging: From reusable systems with wooden or plastic pallets to the use of intermediate timbers and scaffolding for safe transport, numerous options are available.

As a leading steel and aluminum service center, thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe serves processors from the automotive, electrical, construction or even furniture industries at twelve locations in six countries. With its many years of supply chain expertise, the processing specialist provides its diverse customer base with tailored services and digital solutions for flat steel and nonferrous metals throughout Europe in line with its “Materials as a Service” strategy.