«2003 2004 2005 »

Corus Colors is reported to be making a positive contribution to the company despite pressure on prices. Shotton’s four coil coating lines are fully loaded and performing at a high level to meet demand. Alternative uses for buildings and land at Shotton, surplus to current Corus needs, are being pursued.

Surplus manufacturing equipment at Shotton is now being dismantled and disposed of with parts of the two electro galv. lines being kept for re-use on site. Other plant has either been transferred to other company works or sold to the Far East or recycled as scrap. Large sections of the cold reduction mill and ancillary equipment are now in China.

Shotton, Tafarnaubach and paint coating operations at Imjuiden in the Netherlands now form a new Construction and Consumer Products unit of the business. Coated Metals ( aluminised products ) and Cookley Works have been transferred to Corus Strip Products UK

All Corus Colors sites now have the environmental standard, ISO 14001, and Shotton Works has two areas of Special Scientific Interest.

Galvanising capacity increased

The annual capacity of the No. 5 hot dip galvanising in the Coatings Two complex at Shotton is increased by 20,000 tonnes during development work costing £1.2 m. completed in August. The development, announced in December 2003, enables the company to keep pace with the forecast growth in demand from the construction and automotive sectors in the UK.

Furnace and strip cooling equipment have been enhanced to enable all products within the Galvatite range to be produced at the maximum line speed of 160 metres a minute. At present, the line is only run at maximum speed during the processing of thinner gauge strip.

The No.5 line, commissioned in 1978 with a design capacity of 4,750 tonnes, is currently averaging 8,000 tonnes a week.

It is capable of applying a zinc coating between 100-600 grammes per square metre thick to cold reduced strip between 0.4-2.0 mm gauge and 600-1,400 mm wide.

The final line product has either a minimum spangle, smooth or normal spangle surface finish. A high proportion is used as substrate for paint coated products, destined for the construction sector, with the remainder going to the general trade where typical end uses including ducting and decking.

The No.6 line, also in the Coatings Two complex, applies either zinc or a zinc/aluminium alloy to cold reduced strip and is currently averaging 7,500 tonnes a week. Its smooth finished final product is the substrate material for the paint coating lines at Shotton, Tafarnaubach and Yasan in Turkey.

Both of Shotton’s hot dip galvanising lines are currently fully loaded and current manning is 120 operators, technicians and managers.

National environmental award

Manufacturing, Technical, Product and Market Development and Commercial continue to collaborate closely on the development of new products and in April, Shotton receives a premier award from the national Business Commitment to the Environment Awards scheme for its overall commitment to environment improvement, including the development of environmentally friendly products.

A comprehensive lifetime assessment of the flagship product, Colorcoat HPS2000 ® has shown the environmental impact of the product over its lifetime to be minimal compared with more traditional construction materials. The business approach is to develop products which contain no hazardous substances and which can be easily re-cycled at the end of life.

Colorfarm ® range extended

The Colorfarm ® range of products, hot dip galvanised strip with an anti-corrosion primer and flexible exterior grade top coat, has been extended, giving wider choice to farmers. The product is used for cladding barns and livestock sheds.

Corus Colors design and product engineering service, based in the Product Marketing Development section at Shotton, is claimed to be a “world first”. It helps users and potential users of coated products make the most of the products in their components. For example, forming and joining of coated steel can be a challenge.

Corus UK announces a loss of £305m.during the year ended March 31st 2004 compared with £458m. in the previous year. Shotton is reported as having made a significant positive contribution to the end result.

Modular building operation opens

Corus Living Solutions, a modular building system business set up in 6 Bay of the former Cold Strip Mill Department, commissions a new £4 million semi-automated assembly line for the manufacture and assembly of steel-framed modular buildings.