For Woodings Industrial Corporation, the season’s good cheer came a little early this year with the successful December 13th start-up of the new #6 blast furnace and three new hydraulic taphole drills, three new hydraulic mud guns, hydraulics and electrics at the Baotou Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. facility located in China’s Inner Mongolia. The blast furnace has been humming without incident since it was fired up.

The Baotou furnace has a three-taphole configuration and is expected to produce over 10,000 metric tons of hot metal per day. The Woodings guns, drills, hydraulics and electrics—the most technologically advanced units available—are part of Baotou’s first blast furnace to have fully automated drills and guns. The benefits of this automated capability are more predictable results, reduced labor cost and greater efficiency. Operation of this equipment is from a remote console or radio controls

Woodings was selected for the project based on the company’s reputation for quality and service and its ability to provide highly reliable equipment with superior, rugged design.

In addition to providing Baotou with guns and drills, Woodings has a joint Technology Cooperation Agreement with Baotou that provides Woodings with the rights to market, engineer and manufacture the Woodings/Baotou Hydraulic Charging Unit for blast furnaces. The new top system is currently installed on Baotou’s five existing blast furnaces as well as the new #6 blast furnace.

According to Woodings President, Rob Woodings, “We are very pleased to be able to answer Baotou’s needs for innovative, reliable equipment. The partnership with Baotou is a great example of Woodings’ global capability for design and execution milestones. As our reach has expanded throughout the rest of the world, we look forward to our products playing an increasing a role in China's steel making capability.”

About Woodings Industrial Corp. The only hot metal equipment supplier offering design, engineering, manufacturing and service from one source, Woodings Industrial Corp. is the oldest continuous family-operated business in North America’s steel industry. A worldwide leader in the manufacture of metals industry equipment, Woodings uses the most current technologies to design, engineer and manufacture an extensive line of traditional and not-so-traditional hot metal equipment, such as tap hole drills, clay guns, blast furnace top hydraulic charging units, tuyere stocks, blast furnace valves, and specialty products for continuous casters. Woodings is the exclusive supplier of Grabe overlay components in North America and has plants at its headquarters in Mars and Harmony, Pa., along with offices in Detroit, Mich. and Gary, Ind.

For more information about Woodings Industrial Corporation, visit: http://www.woodings.com or call Al Colucci at 724-625-3131.