MARS, Pa. (October 1, 2008) – In this frenetic era of steelmaking, the increasingly competitive environment within the industry has led to some very dynamic and outright amazing innovations in the steelmaking process, beginning, literally, from the top down. 

One of the innovations comes from Woodings Industrial, a long-time innovator in metalworking equipment, which has been selected by Severstal North America, to provide a new Hydraulic Distributor unit for the steelmaker’s “L” furnace at its Sparrows Point operation.  

The Hydraulic Distributor (HD), an exclusive Woodings Industrial design, provides a next generation improvement over traditional charging systems. In this proven technology, hydraulics replace the traditional electro-mechanical functions of the gearbox, providing a more simplified design. The result is a more reliable, more predictable, more maintenance friendly and more economical blast furnace top that offers steel producers the opportunity to optimize process efficiency and performance.

“This furnace project is indicative of the forward-thinking that Severstal NA is bringing to the domestic steelmaking process and we are delighted that our equipment will be the key component to this project,” said President Robert T. Woodings. 

Sparrows Point, which can produce 3.9 million tons of crude steel annually, and is the only integrated producer of flat-rolled steel on the East Coast, is expected to take delivery of the Woodings Hydraulic Distributor in July of 2009.

Woodings is providing Severstal with a world of expertise and experience in the design, engineering, manufacturing, blast furnace operations and process control for ironmaking.