Optimized process steps for economic strip production

The cycle of economic factors, high intensity of competition due to far rea ching globalization and transparency of the market all influence the steel market. This environment demands structural adaptation by plant operators a nd removal of competition from the market: company mergers as for example T hyssen - Krupp, British Steel - Hoogovens or Usinor - Cockerill Sambre are first steps in this direction which will make a long term difference to the appearance of steel industry in Europe. International cooperations in the form of joint ventures or capital investments influence the activities of t he world market. New technologies and plant concepts will increasingly change production pro cesses for the manufacture and refining of strip during the next few years. Both investment and production costs can be further reduced by substitutin g process steps. Technology packages are available for the modernisation of existing plants. Extensive protection of the environment as well as comple te recycling stategies are gaining importance in the face of limited resour ces, demanding intelligent solutions from plant designers and operators for the benefit of steel industry. This situation calls for more intensive cooperation between the partners st eel industry on the one hand and plant designers on the other. The main tar get of such a partnership is improved and stronger competitiveness for stee l industry.