SDI is an impressive American success story. Since they began operations in Indiana in 1996, they have quickly become one of the largest and most successful steel companies. Once the Sinton mill is operational, SDI will have an annual capacity of nearly 15 million tons. EBNER is proud to have been part of SDI’s story since the very beginning, and we are very excited about the fact that we can once again supply a HICON/H₂ batch annealing facility, made in the USA. With a coil stacking height of 260 inches, SDI will be operating the tallest facility of its kind in North America.

EBNER Furnaces in Ohio has been busy manufacturing the twelve-base facility, and despite some COVID 19-related adversity has maintained a schedule that dovetails nicely with the progress on-site. The $1.9 billion Sinton project is obviously a massive job site, and earlier this year EBNER and SDI began discussions regarding how the installation progress could be optimized – even as costs and risks were reduced at the same time.

THE EBNER SOLUTION

The answer was to pre-assemble the equipment prior to shipment, to an extent never accomplished before. This entailed a mock-up installation in EBNER’s workshop in Ohio. Almost all interconnecting pipe runs were manufactured, match-marked and shipped as pre-built units, ready for quick bolt-on connection on site. As a result, field work – especially field welds – could be avoided to a large extent. In addition to the pre-fabricated pipework, the pre-assembly of individual facility components was carried out to a far greater degree than usual. A large portion of the assembly work traditionally done in the field was shifted to the EBNER workshop. This was made possible by 3D designs, where the level of detail in EBNER’s engineering became essential. Working to exacting dimensions with a high degree of accuracy is an absolute must to ensure a proper fit and fast installation on site. Thanks to EBNER’s ingenuity and flexibility, we were able to complete the tasks in the workshop successfully and on time, and by the time this article goes to print the on-site work will be well on its way.

The minimal final site assembly requirements reduce potential installation conflicts at a time when buildings and cranes are going up seemingly everywhere, reduces peak resource need and increases site safety. Due to work already performed ahead of time, EBNER is able to reduce site work for a faster and more efficient installation and at reduced overall project costs.

We would like to thank to SDI team for trusting us not only with the design and manufacturing of the equipment, but also for collaborating with us on pre-site preparations and during the installation.