KCI Konecranes of Finland has won a contract which it believes is a “breakthrough” in persuading US steel mills to adopt modern AC technology.
Konecranes America Inc. has won a contract to supply two hot metal cranes and a service crane to Nucor’s steel mill in Jewett, Texas. It is Konecranes’ first crane contract for one of America’s big steel mills, and the first time an American steelmaker has purchased hot metal cranes featuring AC technology, which Konecranes says offers significant operating savings over traditional DC solutions.
The cranes will be delivered in April, July and August 2003.
Hot metal cranes represent the severest duty class and have to meet the most stringent safety standards of all industrial cranes. In a statement Konecranes said: “American steel mills have been somewhat reluctant to abandon old technical solutions, although new technology can offer significant savings in operating costs. KCI Konecranes possesses ample experience and knowledge in new crane technology, having delivered similar cranes to several steel mills around the world, including Scandinavia and the Far East.” Nucor is building a new melt shop, which will include a new charge crane, ladle crane and a caster service crane supplied by Konecranes. The charge crane is a CMAA Class F crane rated at 200 US ton with two auxiliary hoists rated at 75 and 25 US ton. The ladle crane is basically the same configuration without the 25 ton auxiliary. The caster maintenance crane is rated at 100 US ton with a 35 US ton auxiliary. All three cranes feature AC drive systems with variable frequency controls.
Nucor maintenance supervisor Dick Rappolee said that the new facility was a one-furnace operation replacing three existing furnaces.
“The furnace is twice as large as any of the three existing furnaces, and requires heavier crane equipment to service it,” Rappolee said. “All of the technology is much more modern than what we previously had, including the AC induction motor cranes supplied by KCI Konecranes. As far as we know, induction AC-powered hot metal cranes of this capacity have not been seen in this country until now. We believe the operating costs will be lower due to increased reliability. As a break from a more traditional approach of redundant overhead cranes, we feel having the right crane in place eliminates the need for a second crane, which significantly reduces capital costs.” A team from Nucor visited Konecranes’ headquarters in Hyvinkää, Finland to meet with the crane designers and to see similar cranes in operation at AvestaPolarit’s mill in Tornio, Finland and at SSAB in Lulea, Sweden.
“This trip was an excellent example of team selling, with Konecranes’ current customers as part of our team,” said Konecranes regional sales manager Mark Laughlin, who accompanied Nucor to Finland. “Both AvestaPolarit and SSAB were very open and helpful, answering Nucor’s questions and discussing their crane experiences. Having such strong support from our existing steel customers helped solidify Nucor’s confidence in KCI Konecranes.” Konecranes America Inc.’s Houston manufacturing facility will build the cranes with input from the Konecranes’ Global Crane Company’s design team and the Heavy Components Group in Finland. KCI Crane Pro Services in Dallas will handle preventive maintenance inspections on the cranes.
Nucor Corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA is the largest steel producer in the United States with over $4.1 billion in sales annually.
