JSW Vijayanagar Metallics Ltd. (JVML), a subsidiary of JSW Steel, has commissioned a new 350-ton Ruhrstahl Heraeus (RH) unit supplied by SMS group at its Vijayanagar Works Steel Plant 4 in Toranagallu. The installation is the world’s first to combine an RH Ladle Rocker with Fast Vessel Exchange (FvE), marking a step change in secondary metallurgy efficiency.
The facility supports production of high-quality steel for construction, infrastructure, automotive, manufacturing and energy applications, with a total capacity of 3 mln tons per year. The RH vacuum process delivers cleaner steel and improved mechanical properties, while the Ladle Rocker-FvE configuration boosts safety, throughput and flexibility by cutting exchange times, extending vessel life and enabling faster grade changes.
Operational efficiency is further enhanced by an on-top ferro-silicon bunker, which improves alloy availability, reduces interruptions and shortens process cycles, lifting stability and yields.
Following successful RH installations at Dolvi in 2023 and 2024, JSW Steel selected SMS group’s 350-ton Ladle Rocker FvE solution for all RH units at Vijayanagar Plant 4, reinforcing its ability to produce high-quality steel at scale.
JSW Vijayanagar Metallics is set up an integrated steel manufacturing facility with capacity of 5 mln tons per annum comprising of sinter plant, blast furnace, steel melt shop and hot strip mill.
JSW Steel’s consolidated crude steel capacity stands at 35.7 mln tons per annum, including 1.5 mln tons in the U.S., with plans to expand to 43.4 mln tons within three years.
