Bangladesh Steel Re-rolling Mills (BSRM) has commissioned its new 900,000 tonnes/year capacity induction furnace, making it the world’s largest steelmaking plant operating induction furnaces, the long steelmaker claims.

BSRM has increased productivity and efficiency by using induction technology in order to survive in a low-margin and highly competitive market, according to Inductotherm, which supplied the technology. The new melting furnaces will reduce operating costs as well as particulate and noise pollution.

“Steel billet making using induction furnaces, ladle refining furnaces and continuous casters is proven to be commercially viable in terms of quality and cost to feed rolling mills producing commercial grade steel such as rebar, wire rod, and pipes, as well as light and small sections,” Inductotherm says in a statement seen by Kallanish.

“We have taken up the challenge of producing a large quantity of steel most efficiently through the induction furnace route and therefore decided to go for the 50 tonne furnaces,” says BSRM managing director Aameir Alihussain. “We ended up commissioning the world’s largest plant for billet making through induction furnaces.”

BSRM has thus become self-sufficient in billet by raising semis production capacity to 1.2 million tonnes/year. Production capability of finished products, which comprise rebar and sections, stands at 750,000 t/y, but the rolling mills will also be revamped to match the new semis capacity.

BSRM has also procured from Inductotherm a 34,000 t/y Fusion-Bonded Epoxy (FBE) coating plant for rebar. The will allow the steelmaker to produce coated rebar used in special construction applications where corrosion prevention is mandatory.

BSRM’s current steelmaking feedstock is made up of 15-20% direct reduced iron, while the balance is scrap sourced predominantly from abroad.