WHEELING, W.Va., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wheeling-Pittsburgh
Steel Corporation (Nasdaq: WPSC) today announced it will add automatic roll
changers at its 80" Hot Strip Mill. The $14.5 million project is expected to
be completed in the fourth quarter of 2005 and will improve productivity and
increase the mill's capacity from 2.8 million tons to 3.2 million tons per
year.
The automatic roll changers will be installed on the mill's six finishing
stands, reducing the time needed to change rolls from as much as 40 minutes to
8 - 10 minutes per roll change. On average, rolls are changed between four and
six times during each 24 hours of running time.
"The installation of the automatic roll changers is another significant
step in our program to improve the efficiency of our primary operations," said
Harry L. Page, Vice President of Engineering, Technology and Metallurgy. "In
2000, we added additional segments to our twin strand caster that increased
its productivity. The addition of our electric arc furnace will improve our
steelmaking productivity. The installation of the automatic roll changers will
allow us to roll our full output from the caster, while also providing us with
the opportunity to convert purchased slabs or toll roll slabs for others."
The majority of the automatic roll changer installation will be conducted
during regularly scheduled weekly downturns at the mill. This will include all
excavation and installation of equipment in front of the mill. Machining work
on the finishing stands themselves will be done during a 10-day outage
scheduled for the fourth quarter.
This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements
regarding future events or the future financial performance of Wheeling-
Pittsburgh Corporation that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are
cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may
differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred
to the "Business - Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and other reports and filings
with the SEC, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual
results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
About Wheeling-Pittsburgh:
Wheeling-Pittsburgh is a steel company engaged in the making, processing
and fabrication of steel and steel products using both integrated and electric
arc furnace technology. The Company's products include hot rolled and cold
rolled sheet and coated products such as galvanized, pre-painted and tin mill
sheet. The Company also produces a variety of steel products including roll
formed corrugated roofing, roof deck, floor deck, bridgeform and other
products used primarily by the construction, highway and agricultural markets.
SOURCE Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.wpsc.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/967451.html
CONTACT:
Jim Kosowski of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel
Corporation, +1-304-234-2440
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