In 1994 for the first time in operation of wide strip rolling mills “transit” rolling of slabs without preliminary heating in furnaces has been introduced on an industrial scale. Today 95 % of slabs are rolled according to such a technology and the expenditure of fuel per ton has decreased from 82,5 to 13,5 kg/ton of rolled products. Such a transfer to “transit” rolling has created preconditions for direct rolling of slabs 10—12 meters long weighing up to 16 tons. For this purpose the roughing group of stands of strip mill “1680” has been modernized, changing the electric drive from a.c. to d.c. Continuous rolling of slabs in the roughing stands’ subgroups has also been arranged.  |
Since January 4, 1997 the Works has become a Joint Stock Company.
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Today “Zaporizhstal” Works is one of the major suppliers of quality sheets, sections and shapes for home machine-building industry, hot-dipped tinplate for the needs of the canning industry. “Zaporizhstal” exports its products to over 90 countries of the world, among which are the following: China, Turkey, Vietnam, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Syria, Israel, Algiers, Belorus, UAE, Bulgaria. 
In 2000 reconstruction of blast furnace No.3 was completed and after many years of standstill it was put into operation. Blast furnace No.3 is equipped with modern control facilities. The casting yard of this furnace with highly durable closed runners and aspiration is unique for domestic metallurgy.
To improve the quality of steel a unique technology of argon-oxygen mixture blowing of metal was introduced in the open-hearth furnace shop. This technology is protected by a patent of Ukraine. In 2002 for the first time in world practice “ABB” a.c. motors with regulated RPM and capacity 7000 kwt have been used in the electric drive of the finishing group of mill “1680”.
“Titan” binding machines have been installed on the continuous mill coilers.
In the near future it is planned to obtain an intermediate coiling unit (coil-box) which will create conditions to produce hot-rolled strips 1,5 mm thick and less, and also bell furnaces for annealing cold-rolled coils in dry hydrogen atmosphere. Other modernization programs are also foreseen. Day by day the Works’ specialists are purposefully increasing the efficiency of utilization of industrial capacities, continuously renewing the fixed production assets and improving the technology. | 
