Cold Mill Complex

The cold mill is an organized group of batch processes where the previously hot rolled steel product is refined into material suitable for stringent steel commodity applications.  Generally, five or more individual cold mill processes are required before the steel is shipped to the customer or outside processor.  These processes include:

• Pickling
• Tandem Rolling
• Cleaning
• Annealing (batch & continuous)
• Temper Rolling
• Inspection
• Slitting
• Hot Dip Galvanizing
• Electrogalvanizing
• Packaging

With the exception of batch annealing, the inventories of semi-finished steel coils spend most of their time waiting for the next process.  The average cold mill processing time from hot coil to shipped product is about twelve (12) days.  Managing the inventory, scheduling the next process and generating a lineup conducive to productivity are major factors in a successful operation.

Integrated Process Automation & Control Technologies