The new cranes, which are rated at 305t for process duty and 375t for maintenance lifting, are specified for the highest duty class and comply with the most stringent safety standards. The cranes span over 33m and are equipped with four girders and auxiliary trolleys.

They have air-conditioned E-rooms and feature KCI Konecranes’ patented DynA common DC-bus inverter control technology with DynAReg Active Front End (AFE) and the DynAPilot anti-sway systems with positioning control. These features are electromechanical and provide the customer with safe and efficient handling options.

The new cranes will be installed in the hot-rolled coil plant, as part of the backward integration at the green-field steel melting plant in Orissa, eastern India.

Kari Wallgren, Konecranes director process cranes said: “We have provided cranes to the Indian market since the early 1990’s. Bhushan Steel and Strips is a new customer to KCI Konecranes and will further add to our activities in India.”

Mr Neeraj Singal, managing director of Bhushan Steel and Strips Ltd said: “We selected KCI Konecranes’ technology for our new plant because of their high performance solutions and a track record of high reliability in steel mill crane deliveries to leading players such as Nucor in the US and Essar Steel in India.”

The Indian steel industry is growing rapidly and is expected to triple its annual steel production from 35 million tons to over 100 million tons over the next five years.

Bhushan Steel and Strips is considered one of India’s foremost producers of cold-rolled, galvanised and special steel and is leading the technological development within the Indian cold-rolled steel industry.

This recent order is part of Bhushan Steel and Strips’ expansion programme and a response to the rapid growth in demand for steel products.

Other recent large steel mill crane orders for KCI Konecranes include orders from Mittal Steel in Poland, SeverCorr LLC in the US, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works and West Siberian Iron and Steel Plant in Russia. These orders were made in 2005.