Węglokoks is pushing ahead with a PLN 70 million investment at Walcownia Blach Batory (WBB) to enter the segment of high-hardness plates. The new technology will achieve the required parameters directly during the rolling process, bypassing expensive heat treatment and cutting energy costs.
The project, financed from the Reprywatyzacja Fund, aims not only to modernise existing lines but also to expand WBB’s product range. The plant will produce abrasion-resistant plates with better flatness and surface quality, targeting machinery and industrial clients.
Tomasz Langier, CEO of Walcownia Blach Batory, underlined the strategic shift: – We are not just upgrading equipment; we are entering a higher value-added segment. We want to produce high-hardness plates very efficiently, using rolling heat and a modern control system. This allows us to offer a durable, good-quality product at a competitive price, for example for the machinery industry.
Technological breakthrough without heat treatment
Conventionally, producing tough, wear-resistant plates requires separate quenching and tempering furnaces. WBB’s innovation relies on accelerated, controlled cooling right after rolling. By precisely managing the cooling rate, the steel achieves the desired hardness without additional heat treatment. This method significantly reduces energy consumption and shortens production time, improving margins.
The company claims this is a major step forward. Instead of heating plates again in a furnace, the process uses the heat already present from rolling. The result is not only lower energy bills but also more consistent metallurgical properties across the entire plate.
Investment details and timeline
The entire project is split into three main tasks. The first involves purchasing and installing a modern descaling unit along with equipment for accelerated cooling. The second task is setting up a new roller leveler capable of straightening plates up to 40 mm thick and 3850 mm wide. The third element is modernising the rolling mill’s control system and adding advanced measuring devices for thickness and width control.
Work has already begun on site. The company reports that excavation for new foundations could fit a small house, and around 15 kilometres of electrical cables will be laid – roughly the distance from central Katowice to central Chorzów and back. This scale underlines the comprehensive nature of the technological change, not just a simple equipment swap.
The investment is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. It will boost production capabilities for new assortments while improving the quality of the entire current offer. Better flatness and surface finish matter to industrial clients because they reduce the need for further machining and finishing.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Węglokoks / materiały prasowe
