Supervisors: Dr. Luca Onofri

Recruited ESRs: ESR-L: Dragoljub II Gajic

 

Hosting for secondment: ESR-K: Hubert Hadera, ESR-N: Robin Cartoux

Cooperation: ABB-DE, CMU

Contributing: WP5: Electricity optimization

 

Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) is a global leader in the manufacturing of stainless steel flat products and one of the most important integrated industrial plants in the world. Its manufacturing process is based on ultra-modern technologies including electric-arc furnaces, AOD and VOD converters, continuous casters, a hot-rolling mill, finishing lines with environmentally-friendly pickling processes, Sendzimir cold-rolling mills, bright annealing and pickling lines, including one equipped with skin pass and stretch leveler devices, a tension leveler and several cutting, finishing and packaging lines. The most important products by AST include hot and cold-rolled coils and sheets of ferritic and austenitic stainless steels, offered in a wide range of surface finishes and dimensions. The product range of AST also includes pre-painted stainless steels called Vivinox, which is manufactured in its finishing center on a special painting line. Shearing and cutting lines, brushing and butter-finishing lines make the AST finishing center one of the most important services centers in Europe.

 

AST steels are used in a great number of applications e.g. transports, electrical appliances, kitchenware and constructions as well as in a wide range of industrial uses. Besides the company's direct distribution channels, products are also traded through the sales network of Terninox, a subsidiary of AST, with a service center in Milan and several warehouses in the most important regions, to guarantee a careful customer service.AST is committed to continuous research and development, to improve its competitiveness in the field of processes and products as well as to meet the increasing requirements of its customers.

 

The AST Department of Automation lead by Dr. Luca Onofri is now involved in the EU FP7 Marie Curie ITN Energy-SmartOps Project in order to generate and test creative ideas for energy savings in stainless steel industry.