Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 4 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 2 related plants in PECWeb
Released May 04, 2021 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Tata Steel is hoping to secure the future of its Corby steel tube-making site in the U.K.'s East Midlands with the construction of a new single high-tech warehouse, the relocation and upgrading of the rectangular hollow section (RHS) processing line and the cold rolling mill.
The rejigging of the site's most important processes will bring them closer together for greater "operational efficiency," the company stated, and is expected to cost around £25 million ($34.7 million). The Corby site sits on 150 acres and produces steel tube products from steel made at the company's Port Talbot steelworks. Products have been used in many of the U.K.'s most iconic structures, from sports stadiums to iconic skyscrapers like The Shard in London.
"Steel is, and will continue to be, an essential part of the U.K.'s plans to decarbonise for the future," said chairman of Tata Steel U.K. Ltd, Sandip Biswas. "We need to ensure we are able to make and supply the products right here in the U.K. which will help transition to a net-zero future."
Nigel Chudley, project leader, added: "We are creating a single-site warehouse within the East Works, which will allow the closure of the South warehouse. Significant work is ongoing to prepare the ground for the installation of a racked warehouse solution. Over the last couple of weeks the team have been working with our contractors to break ground, which is the first element of a 14-week programme to prepare the flooring which will support 18,000 tonnes of finished tube product. The new warehousing system will bring significant advantages to the current system -- enabling the Tubes operation to rotate stock much more efficiently and reduce stock losses." Industrial Info is tracking all of the projects.
With more than 4,000 employees, Tata Steel is the U.K.'s largest steelmaker and is one of a number of U.K. based steelmakers whose future has been in question in recent years, a situation that has become more precarious with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Industrial Info reported on the company's unsuccessful petition for roughly £500 million ($606.5 million) in government support to weather the coronavirus pandemic. For additional information, see May 25, 2020, article--U.K. Steelmakers Need More Government Cash to Survive.
Tata Steel is currently suing rival U.K. steelmaker Liberty Steel over alleged unpaid debts related to Liberty's 2017 takeover of Tata's speciality steels business. Liberty Steel, the third largest steelmaker in the U.K., also failed in a bid to receive significant government financial support and its owner, GFG Alliance, saw its own main backer Greensill collapse in March. Sanjeev Gupta, owner of GFG Alliance, told the BBC: "None of my steel plants under my watch will be shut down. Our overall global operations are profitable, we have refinancing offers, we will refinance, and we will support our U.K. business also."
British Steel Limited (BSL) (Scunthorpe, England), the U.K.'s second largest steelmaker with more than 3,000 employees, was rescued from insolvency by Chinese steel major, Jingye, last year with the commitment to invest £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) to rescue the struggling company and its key sites at Teesside and Scunthorpe. For additional information, see November 18, 2020, article - British Steel Saved By China's Jingye.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
The rejigging of the site's most important processes will bring them closer together for greater "operational efficiency," the company stated, and is expected to cost around £25 million ($34.7 million). The Corby site sits on 150 acres and produces steel tube products from steel made at the company's Port Talbot steelworks. Products have been used in many of the U.K.'s most iconic structures, from sports stadiums to iconic skyscrapers like The Shard in London.
"Steel is, and will continue to be, an essential part of the U.K.'s plans to decarbonise for the future," said chairman of Tata Steel U.K. Ltd, Sandip Biswas. "We need to ensure we are able to make and supply the products right here in the U.K. which will help transition to a net-zero future."
Nigel Chudley, project leader, added: "We are creating a single-site warehouse within the East Works, which will allow the closure of the South warehouse. Significant work is ongoing to prepare the ground for the installation of a racked warehouse solution. Over the last couple of weeks the team have been working with our contractors to break ground, which is the first element of a 14-week programme to prepare the flooring which will support 18,000 tonnes of finished tube product. The new warehousing system will bring significant advantages to the current system -- enabling the Tubes operation to rotate stock much more efficiently and reduce stock losses." Industrial Info is tracking all of the projects.
With more than 4,000 employees, Tata Steel is the U.K.'s largest steelmaker and is one of a number of U.K. based steelmakers whose future has been in question in recent years, a situation that has become more precarious with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Industrial Info reported on the company's unsuccessful petition for roughly £500 million ($606.5 million) in government support to weather the coronavirus pandemic. For additional information, see May 25, 2020, article--U.K. Steelmakers Need More Government Cash to Survive.
Tata Steel is currently suing rival U.K. steelmaker Liberty Steel over alleged unpaid debts related to Liberty's 2017 takeover of Tata's speciality steels business. Liberty Steel, the third largest steelmaker in the U.K., also failed in a bid to receive significant government financial support and its owner, GFG Alliance, saw its own main backer Greensill collapse in March. Sanjeev Gupta, owner of GFG Alliance, told the BBC: "None of my steel plants under my watch will be shut down. Our overall global operations are profitable, we have refinancing offers, we will refinance, and we will support our U.K. business also."
British Steel Limited (BSL) (Scunthorpe, England), the U.K.'s second largest steelmaker with more than 3,000 employees, was rescued from insolvency by Chinese steel major, Jingye, last year with the commitment to invest £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) to rescue the struggling company and its key sites at Teesside and Scunthorpe. For additional information, see November 18, 2020, article - British Steel Saved By China's Jingye.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
