Yixing city, with a long history of pottery, tea, bamboo and cave, has been a good place with beautiful treasures and outstanding talents since ancient times. Nowadays, there is a famous large world-class hot strip mill roll manufacturing enterprise_ JIANGSU GONG-CHANG ROLL JOINT-STOCK CO., LTD. (the following Jiangsu Gong-chang for short).
At the end of last century, Jiangsu Gong-chang had a small and medium production level with capacity of 10,000 tons among the same industry at home. It could only manufacture low and medium grades of bar mill and section mill rolls. Comparing with main domestic roll enterprises, Jiangsu Gong-chang had a larger gap in manufacturing technology and equipment of large rolls and high alloy duplex rolls, falling behind advanced international roll enterprises.
The company has rapidly developed in the past ten years. At present, the company is the second monomer enterprise in the same industry in the world and first in China on vertical double poured rolls with high alloys. It's even a well-known international enterprise with the most beautiful environment, all kinds of double poured rolls with high alloys in the same industry in China. It's the unique roll manufacturing enterprise to win national debt support. It's the first in China on the return on assets, industrial output per capita and creating profit per capita. It's also known as "National Hi-tech Company", "the best innovation Company in hi-tech industry of China". The company completed national standard of hot strip mill rolls and first English version one of domestic metallurgical industry not long ago. It's joining in national standard of forged steel roll blank now. The general director, Mr. Shao Shuncai, win the title "China Iron & Steel Industry Model Worker".
According to the adjustment demand of national iron & steel industry, the hot strip has been a key kind of iron & steel industry in the future since the 21st century, from only 36% to 50%~60% in 2010. The varieties with high technology content and high added value have taken the place of conventional normal ones. During the "10th and 11th five years" plan, there were more than 10 sets of international modern CSP. The production capacity was over 100,000,000 tons on hot strip mill and medium plate mill rolls in 2010, during which the domestic demand of excellent ones was up to over 30,000 tons.
However, the roll manufacturing technology in China especially on hot strip mill rolls falls behind development of mills. Due to not passed prodution technology and equipment, the main domestic roll enterprises can only produce low and medium grades of hot strip mill and section mill rolls. Therefore, 90% of rolls are imported to meet the need of over 10 production lines of hot strip mills, universal section mills and wide plate mills.
If the company first set up one or two production lines of hot strip mill and medium plate mill rolls with international modern level and manufacture qualified rolls which can take the place of import ones as soon as it can, a huge market will be open to it. It will make great contribution for China iron & steel industry.
Mr. Shao Shuncai and his cooperators seized this opportunity. Since 2003, Jiangsu Gong-chang has invested a total of USD 6,390,000 to import advanced foreign manufacturing technology, set up the first phase production line of hot strip mill rolls, researched and manufactured five roll varieties which have the same level of import such as ICDP, High-Cr cast iron rolls and HSS rolls etc. used for work rolls of medium and wide strip (barrel diameter ≤800mm); then, the company researched and manufactured the largest vertical centrifuge in the world and all series of finishing work rolls (over 800mm) of wide strip mill as well as roughing work rolls (the max Φ1350mm) of high-Cr steel, developed new rolls like semi-HSS rolls, and set up the second phase large production line for work rolls of wide strip mill and monobloc casting back-up rolls. The company set up large production line of horizontal rings and work rolls of hot strip mill in 2009 and developed universal section mill H section mill rolls and so on.
During the "11th five years" plan, the company established the third phase production line of double poured rolls with high alloys with capacity of 100,000 tons including large rolls with high performance. That made it be a large roll enterprise in the world and made rapid development on manufacturing technology, installed equipment as well as hi-tech varieties. So far, the company has already mastered all aspects of double poured rolls with high alloys as well as large vertical centrifuge, and produced them smoothly. The rolls they researched are popular home and abroad.
Meanwhile, Jiangsu Gong-chang actively innovate independently. It has completed innovation fund of Science & Technology Ministry, national and Jiangsu torch plan, national and Jiangsu new key products as well as Jiangsu key science and technology results etc.. It has set up "Jiangsu engineering research center for double poured roll with high alloys", "Jiangsu postdoctoral centre" and "Jiangsu postgraduate centre". It has equiped testing service of Jiangsu Huaxin Metallurgical product Quality Inspection Co., Ltd.. At present, the service has smoothly passed through PT of national laboratory and entered the phases of system certification as well as site assessment. It will be put into use this year.
Hi-tech strip mill rolls leading the market
The supply and demand relation of flat products in China has changed a lot in recent years. Supply is more than demand, even the price of FP is lower than that of LP in a long time.
The iron & steel market in the world has still been in downturn since this year. To reduce production cost and consumption, the iron & steel enterprises increasingly need new rolls with high efficiency and low consumption. Facing this new challenge and opportunity, Jiangsu Gong-chang actively made enough preparations for it: first, go on putting development thoughts from scale expansion to structural adjustment in order to activate living and competition ability through market segment, seeking position, structural adjustment of products and strategic plan. Second, improve and promote mastered roll manufaturing technology, understand deeply mill, rolling condition and roll performance, make quality to up to advanced international level and to meet need of rolling users. Third, update the installed equipment in time to improve innovation ability and core competition products and to lead the market.
In addition, in order to speed up adapting to new development situation and request of the "12th five years" plan of national iron and steel industry, to meet constant demand of key national projects like car sheet, ship flat steel, excellent steel used in modern equipment industry and national defense, alongside with iron & steel industry speeding up development of rolling technology and varieties quality, especially to meet growing demand of steel enterprises home and abroad for cost reduction and development, the company put the programs of large-size back-up rolls of hot strip mill in centrifugal casting method instead of forged and large-size rings of large H section mill in monobloc casting method into key R&D plan 2012. At present, the trial work is generally over.
In export, the company firstly become the strategic cooperation partner of ArcelorMittal which is the largest Steel Group in the world and the first excellent supplier from China of POSCO. The total production capacity is expected to 60,000 tons and double-digit growth of export trade this year.
Creating brand satisfied with users
How about quality of hot strip mill rolls produced by Jiangsu Gong-chang? It's what all steel mills focus on.
In the process of domestication HSS rolls of hot strip mill, the operation department of Shougang Group Qianan Steel Company purchase two HSS work rolls F1-F3 from Jiangsu Gong-chang. From testing condition, the rolls meet requirements of technical agreement; from use results, the rolls can continuously work in F1 stand for four times with good wear resistance, which meet production need of site.
The four steel rolling plant of Maanshan Steel say that GC HSS rolls which work in F1-F4 finishing stands at 2250 hot rolling line from June, 2010 till now are still in good condition. The GC HSS rolls have better cost performance. They are still in early consumption stage and the later one is tracking.
POSCO say, a great deal of GC hot strip mill rolls, the material of which are enhanced ICDP, high-Cr Iron and high-Cr Steel, are still in good wear resistance and resistance to fire-cracking, good anti-spalling property and anti-accident property, which keep good rolling surface quality. The rolling capacity of GC rolls is more than local rolls'.It's as many as that of Europe, America and Japan. POSCO has made Jiangsu Gongchang as its key  FP supplier. It will purchase a great many rolls from Gongchang.
In after sale service, the workers often go to the users' sites to track information of products, and send use problems to manufacturing sites, which plays a bridge roll between manufacturing sites and use sites.
It's the constantly technology innovation and equipment upgrade that the products of Jiangsu Gong-chang are developing in the direction of hi-tech and high quality with a prosperous future.