Ezz Flat Steel (EFS) awarded Danieli a contract for the modernization of the Quality Strip Production (QSP) casting and rolling complex at its Ain Sokhna facility in Egypt. The QSP complex, originally supplied by Danieli and commissioned in 2003, will undergo upgrades aimed at increasing production capacity and expanding the range of high value-added steel grades.
The project includes installation of a new Vacuum Degasser-Oxygen Blowing (VDOB) plant to support production of advanced steel grades. The upgraded complex is expected to increase annual production capacity from 1.175 mln tons to 1.5 mln tons. According to Danieli, the modernization works will include upgrades to the thin-slab caster, tunnel furnace, hot-strip mill, automation systems, and water-treatment facilities.
The project will also include installation of a new high-pressure secondary descaling system and upgrades to the hot-strip mill drive systems using Danieli Q-Drive Cyclo technology. The automation package includes replacement of Level 1 and Level 2 systems, alongside implementation of a Level 3 Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for production management, scheduling, quality control, and data analytics at the Ain Sokhna facility.
Following the upgrade, Ezz Flat Steel is expected to expand its product portfolio to include interstitial-free (IF) steels, ultra-low carbon grades, bake-hardening and press-hardening steels, dual-phase steels, and advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). The project will be implemented in two phases, with the VDOB plant scheduled to start operations in May 2027 and the full QSP upgrade expected to be completed by May 2028.
Ezz Steel operates four fully integrated steelmaking plants in Egypt with a combined production capacity of 7 mln tons of flat and long steel products annually.