Duferco Steel Processing (Pty), producer of cold-rolled and galvanised coils, has invested R70 million for the installation of new air knife technologies from Danieli in January 2021.

Duferco selected Italian-based Danieli Kohler zinc-pot wiping technology to upgrade the galvanizing line in its Saldanha, Western Cape plant. The solution incorporates the Danieli Electromagnetic Strip Stabilizer and the Automatic Closed Loop Control, which will complement the well-established Danieli Kohler X-Jet system. Duferco will be the first coating facility in Africa using Daniel’s latest advanced coating technology. The technology allows ultra-low thickness coatings to be applied at high speeds, resulting in highest levels of competitiveness in terms of finish quality and production costs.  The selected wiping system will be installed in the line producing galvanized coated products and Duferco envisages the technology to be fully operational by mid-February 2021.

This investment follows the R60 million 2019 upgrade to replace electronic drives for the plant’s reduction mill which had become obsolete.  The dismounted drives are custom-built and could not be sourced generally. Keeping abreast of constantly changing technology is essential and comes not only with high capital costs, but also require the development of local skills and know-how for the operation and maintenance of such equipment. Duferco says it is attuned to the negative effect of supply disruptions, especially for customers who are dependent on niche products that are not available locally or internationally. 

“Although the steel sector is struggling and we are experiencing tough trading conditions, we cannot afford to remain static.  We need to continue to offer our customers the best products produced with the best technology and we will continue to invest in our processes to stay competitive.  The Danieli installation will allow us to produce a wider range of products, thus making our product range, which now includes non-exposed automotive grades for which we obtained European certification in 2020, more attractive. This upgrade will also allow Duferco to compete with imported products if we are able to obtain hot rolled coil at competitive international prices”, says Ludovico Sanges, Duferco’s MD.