"Unfold" is a word with various meanings depending on the context. The first that comes to mind is its narrative sense: to reveal, as in to remove a veil, is a way we present something new.
However, the term "unfold" is also something much closer to our world, the world of steel. In particular, it relates to the final product of the plant we wanted to reveal: the Spooler. The Spooler coils - wound during production - will have a natural next step: the action of "unfolding" the coils in preparation for the reinforcing steel that will form the basis for the most importnat infastructure of the future.
Based on this double meaning, we decided to tell the story of the new Rolling Mill B in Riesa in a different, more profound way.
UNFOLD ROLLING MILL B | A series to unfold the new rolling mill
The "UNFOLD - Rolling Mill B" feature, shared on the social media channels of Feralpi Group and FERALPI STAHL, is a video clip series. It features five episodes that focus on the main points of interest related to the plant inaugurated last May in Riesa.
It begins with history (not many know that the first rolling mill was built exactly 30 years prior), before moving on to the main environmental and commercial aspects. The role of people also emerges, both in terms of the teamwork essential to achieving the goal, and in terms of the future, through the young men and women who represent the present and future of steelmaking in Riesa.
These five chapters contain testimonials, curiosities, and anecdotes: they are the voices of the protagonists, front and centre.
Episode 1 - A new rolling mill, 30 years later
This first chapter is linked to history. The new rolling mill was inaugurated exactly 30 years after the previous one. Today, as it was then, the watchword is "innovation". The testimony of our own Rocco Herlt, Rolling Mill Technologist, is paired with the presentation of the new plant by Fabrizio Mulinaris, Executive Vice President of Danieli.
Episode 2 - A reduced impact for us and for our community
In this second instalment, we focus on the environmental aspect and the role this plant plays for the community. FERALPI STAHL's new rolling mill has zero direct emissions (Scope 1): a milestone that represents a decisive step in the Group's decarbonisation journey and in reducing the company's environmental impact, also in relation to the community in which it operates. In this second chapter of “Unfold - Rolling Mill B”, we meet Dr. Mathias Schreiber, Director of the Integrated Management System, and Melanie Görne, IMS and Sustainability Assistant.
Episode 3 - The 8-tonne coil is a "World Record"
The new Rolling Mill B is a plant chracterised by significant environmental advantages, but that's not all... It also boasts a record. FERALPI STAHL's mill is the first in Germany designed for Spooler production. Furthermore, it is the first in the world to produce 8-tonne coils. Guiding us through this third episode are the Managing Director di Feralpi Stahlhandel, Ralf Schilling, the Head of Project Management for Rolling Mill B, Bernd Fischer, and the Vice President Technical Sales at Danieli, Simone Concina.
Episode 4 - Teamwork: together we did it
As we know, Rome wasn't built in a day. And neither is a rolling mill. To tackle and win this challenge, teamwork was fundamental. A new rolling mill is not a machine that you simply buy and turn on: at our Riesa site, the implementation required careful calibration and bespoke adaptation, according to the existing spaces and the continuous casting system where the billets had to originate from. This work over 700 days. In addition to Danieli, which supplied the technology and installation, around 30 partners contributed to the creation of this new plant. Only together could we reach the goal of building the most innovative rolling mill in Europe. In this fourth clip of "Unfold - Rolling Mill B", we find testimonials from Dariusz Sosin, Technical Director of Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi, Fredric Bellini, Operations Manager of Rolling Mill B, and Massimiliano Tusacciu, Senior Site Manager at Danieli.
Episode 5 - The "new generation" of the rolling mill
The fifth and final chapter of UNFOLD leads us to look to the future. Specifically, to the younger generation. With the new rolling mill project, FERALPI STAHL has created over 100 new jobs. Young people like Sten Borsdorf, who joins us in this chapter, have approached the new plant and its technologies with enthusiasm and curiosity. Today, working in Rolling Mill B in Riesa means being part of one od the most important projects, not only in Saxony but in all of Germany. It is an opportunity for many young men and women who, as Kai Holzmüller, HR Director at FERALPI STAHL, explains, can enter a sector like steel, which continues to evolve.