thyssenkrupp Steel strengthens its expertise in electric mobility and higher-strength steels with completion of the new double reversing stand in Bochum

• Another milestone of the Strategy 20-30 has been reached
• The Bochum site is expanding its center of excellence for electric mobility and higher-strength steels
• Total investment at the Bochum site about EUR 300 million

thyssenkrupp Steel is continuing with the consistent implementation of its Steel Strategy 20-30 and has now completed another major project. The new double reversing stand (DRG) can be used above all to produce higher-performance steels for electric mobility, as well as other high-strength grades. The location on Essener Strasse in Bochum will be expanded into a center of excellence for electric mobility by 2025. In addition to the now completed unit, an annealing and isolating line (GIL) and an electrical steel inspection line (EBIL) are being built there. The total investment at the site amounts to about EUR 300 million.

Dr. Heike Denecke-Arnold, Chief Operations Officer at thyssenkrupp Steel: "The investment in the new double reversing stand is a clear signal for the future of the Bochum site. Among other things, we want to significantly strengthen our expertise in higher-strength steels and electric mobility. In this way, we can differentiate ourselves even more consistently through the quality of our products, and consequently we can satisfy the ever-increasing and demanding requirements for premium electrical steel. With even thinner highly silicized sheets, for example, we can help to further increase the energy efficiency and thus the performance of electric motors."

This places increased demands on cold rolling technology. The new double reversing stand is a design developed by equipment builder Primetals Technologies and meets the highest standards in the industry. It satisfies the exacting requirements of thyssenkrupp Steel and significantly improves the capabilities of the Bochum site for non-grain-oriented electrical steel. Reversing rolling processes can be used to produce particularly thin materials with significant flatness and the narrowest thickness tolerances. This is particularly important for sheets used in electric motors and generators, for example for wind turbines, because it can minimize core losses.

The DRG will also boost the Bochum location’s capabilities in higher-strength products for the automotive industry, which are used in the chassis area and in safety-relevant components. The investment thus focuses on economical lightweight construction for the automotive industry.

thyssenkrupp Steel is already a leading global supplier of non-grain-oriented electrical steel under the brand names powercore® and powercore® Traction supplied to energy producers, the automotive industry and home appliance manufacturers worldwide. Electrical steel strips with a thickness of less than 0.35 millimeters can only be rolled efficiently and in high quality on reversing stands such as the new DRG due to high material requirements. The technology used ensures a stable rolling operation with very thin and hard strips. This avoids faults in the material and ensures significantly improved product quality for customers overall.

The completion of the new double reversing stand is also a good signal for Bochum as an industrial center. Bochum’s mayor Thomas Eiskirch: "The completion of this multi-million Euro facility is very good news for the 2500 people who work for thyssenkrupp Steel at this site, and also for the city of Bochum. It secures future jobs and, with the establishment of the center of excellence for electric mobility, consolidates Bochum’s position as an important steel location."

Technical data of the double reversing stand

Design: 2 housings, stand configuration – 6 Hi Hyper UniversalCrown-Mill Length: 60 m

Height: Up to 11 m

Strip widths max.: 1570 millimeters

Strip thickness min.: 0.2 millimeters

Standard capacity p.a.: approx. 475,000 t/a (depending on portfolio)