|
|
Wholly owned by SABIC, Saudi Iron & Steel
Company (Hadeed), the first fully integrated
steel producer in Saudi Arabia, started
producing rebars and wire rods in 1983, in the
Jubail Industrial city.
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is
the foremost non-oil company in the middle
east.
It was established in 1976 to be a leading
global manufacturer and marketer of
hydrocarbon and metal products. Sabic’s
products include basic and intermediate
chemicals, polymer resins and polyesters,
fertilizers, metals and industrial gases. |
TECHNICAL ENHANCEMENTS AND EXPANSIONS
In 1986, slit rolling was introduced to
Hadeed’s Rolling Mills and that increased the
daily production record by more than 21%.
In 1987, a scrap car shredder plant was
commissioned. With a capacity of 50 tonnes per
hour, it shreds cars into pieces small enough
to be charged into the electric arc furnaces.
In 1988, Hadeed introduced a new technology
(Bar Quenching) to its Rolling Mills in Jubail
for the manufacture of superior quality
concrete reinforcing bars. This technology
uses the state of the art process involving
high pressure surface quenching followed by
self-tempering. As the bar emerges from the
last rolling stand, the surface temperature is
rapidly reduced by high pressure water jets.
This action causes change in the
microstructure of the steel, making it harder
and stronger. Subsequently the heat retained
in the core dissipates out and heats the
surface to around 620°C causing another change
in the microstructure, which improves the
ductility and toughness of the bar. This
process can meet the ever increasing demand
from structural engineers for higher yield
strength combined with good ductility and
weldability in reinforcing steel to reduce
construction costs.
In
1990, a new dedusting plant went into
operation in order to reduce air pollution
resulting from the increase in production and
to meet the requirements of environmental
protection of Al-Jubail Industrial City.
In March 1992, a third Midrex 600 direct
reduction module went into operation with a
nominal capacity of 600,000 tonnes.
In June 1992, an enhancement project to
increase the Steel Plant’s annual production
capacity to 2.8 million tonnes was completed.
The project included the installation of new
steel making units, modifying the material
handling, injection and sampling systems and
the continuous casting machines.
In 1993, the Section and Bar Mill came on
stream with an annual capacity of
approximately 500,000 tonnes. It added to
Hadeed the ability to produce sections such as
channels, angles, flats and squares.
|
