Jindal United Steel Limited (JUSL), part of Jindal Stainless, has awarded Primetals Technologies a contract to comprehensively upgrade its hot-strip mill at the Jajpur facility in Odisha, India. The mill, which produces both plates and coils, will see enhanced production capacity and improved plate quality. Completion is targeted for December 2026.
The upgrade will extend the heavy plate processing area with a modernized cooling bed No. 1, a new heavy-plate shear with a hydraulic pump station, and a newly added cooling bed No. 2. Additional improvements include a new coil box, an upgraded work roll cooling system across all seven finishing stands, and a new automation system for the cooling beds.
To support higher output and avoid bottlenecks, JUSL will expand the plate production area. The new shear will shorten cutting times, while the coil box is designed to meet growing market demands, enabling production of a wider range of steel grades and products.
The modernization also focuses on quality, with the upgraded work roll cooling system expected to deliver better surface quality by improving water distribution without increasing consumption. JUSL produces a broad range of hot-rolled and cold-rolled stainless steel products in austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic grades, catering to sectors such as pipelines, nuclear energy, and automotive. The hot-strip mill, originally supplied by Primetals in 2012, can roll plates up to 1,650 mm wide and 11-80 mm thicknesses, as well as strip from 1.5 to 12.7 mm thicknesses.