NEWS

On April 8, Wang Shechang, Chairman of China National Heavy Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Sino-heavymach for short), led a delegation to visit Pangang Group. Xie Junyong, General Manager of Pangang Group, warmly received the delegation. Both sides held in-depth discussions on capitalizing on complementary strengths, further deepening cooperation, and advancing technological innovation in metallurgical equipment.

Xie Junyong extended a warm welcome to Wang Shechang and his delegation, speaking highly of Sino-heavymach’s technical expertise and industry contributions in the field of metallurgical equipment. He noted that Sino-heavymach and Pangang Group have maintained close collaboration in areas such as steelmaking, continuous casting, and rolling equipment upgrading, which has provided critical support for Pangang’s process optimization and efficiency improvements. At present, Pangang Group is fully implementing the strategic deployment of Ansteel Group, with a focus on the comprehensive utilization of vanadium-titanium resources and the intelligent, green transformation of its steel industry. He hoped to further deepen and expand cooperation with Sino-heavymach in areas such as green & low-carbon technology R&D, intelligent equipment upgradation, and process optimization, jointly writing a new chapter in "serving the nation through steel".

Wang Shechang retrospected the profound friendship and long-standing collaboration between two parties, highlighting Sino-heavymach’s latest achievements in heavy equipment R&D, intelligent manufacturing, and green & low-carbon technologies. He said that, as a key national steel enterprise, Pangang Group possesses distinct advantages in high-end materials and technological innovation. He hoped both sides will uphold the principle of "Innovative Development to build Mutual Success" to further strengthen cooperation, build a robust vanadium-titanium industrial ecosystem by virtue of high-end, intelligent, and green equipment, lead the blooming advancement and growth of industrial technologies and regional economy, and contribute to the new industrialization and high-quality development of steel sector.

Du Sihong, Vice President of Pangang Group, along with representatives from the Industrial Development Department and Pangang Vanadium & Titanium, attended the meeting. Participants from Sino-heavymach included Vice General Manager He Bo, Deputy Chief Engineer Liu Zhaowei, and representatives from the Steelmaking Division, Chengdu Branch, and General Administration Department also joined in this session.

At 9:00AM on April 9, the high-profile revamping project of #1 Slab Continuous Casting System at Pangang Group Vanadium & Titanium’s Vanadium Extraction and Steelmaking Plant (referred to as Pangang Vanadium #1 Slab Caster Revamping Project) officially commenced in a grand ceremony.

The project was contracted to a consortium jointly formed by Sino-heavymach and Beijing Shougang Construction Group Co., Ltd. Through a comprehensive redesign and reconstruction, the existing #1 slab caster will be upgraded into a brand-new two-machine two-strand, vertical-arc continuous casting machine. The new caster will be equipped with mould expert system, quality real-time decision system, dynamic soft reduction etc., and the integration transformation including "centralized control center" and “unmanned platform management” will be implemented synchronously. The technological upgradation will elevate the equipment's performance to internationally advanced standards, further strengthening Pangang's core competitiveness in producing premium-grade steel.

Xie Junyong, General Manager of Pangang Group, Huang Zhiquan, General Manager of Pangang Group Vanadium & Titanium, Guan Jie, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Yang Bo, Chairman of Beijing Shougang Construction Group Co., Ltd., attended the opening ceremony. Wang Shechang, Chairman of Sino-heavymach attended and addressed to the ceremony.

On October 18 1993, the #1 slab continuous casting machine of Pangang was put into operation, which was a major project of the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" of the country, also was the first 1MTPA-level continuous caster complete self-independent designed and manufactured production line in China. It thus changed the history of China's dependency on foreign large-scale continuous casting equipment, and had great symbolic significance. The project achieved an outcome far exceeding expectations, winning the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This also made the only Chinese academician team specializing in continuous casting equipment headed by Academician Guan Jie then Chief Designer of #1 Slab caster from Sino-heavymach. It laid a solid foundation and made enormous contributions to the development of continuous casting technology in China.

The revamping of Pangang #1 slab caster is an important step for China's metallurgical equipment moving towards high-end, intelligent and green development. This cooperation is not only a continuation and innovation in technology, but also a visible practice of the strong linkage between Pangang and Sino-heavymach, two central state-owned enterprise, for mutual benefit and win-win situation in future.