Hoa Phat to enter high-quality market for steel products in Vietnam
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM- Primetals Technologies and Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel JSC have started up a new production line at the steel plant in Dung Quat, Quang Ngai province, Central Vietnam. The project includes two slab casters, a hot-strip mill, advanced automation systems, and comprehensive digitalization solutions. Through-Process Quality Control (TPQC), a fully integrated quality control system, intelligent digital assistants, and a production management system ensure high quality, productivity, and flexibility.
Vietnam’s steel market is expanding rapidly. With an increased capacity of 5.5 million metric tons per year, Hoa Phat is now better positioned to meet the rising demand for steel products. Primetals Technologies has received the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for the hot-strip mill, and both casters have successfully started up. The entire production line achieved a remarkably swift ramp-up, reaching production of a 1.5-millimeter low-carbon steel coil just six weeks after the start of production.
“With the target of entering higher-quality markets and supplying all required product categories, we chose Primetals Technologies’ continuous casting and hot-strip mill solutions to deliver the best quality to our customers,” said Mai Van Ha, Director at Hoa Phat. “Even before the commissioning of the Dung Quat 2 project was complete, our slab and hot-rolled coil (HRC) products had already received high praise from customers”.
“The automation and digitalization systems from Primetals Technologies have helped operators minimize manual tasks, enabled equipment to operate with high reliability, and improved productivity. Thanks to the comprehensive solutions, we have also seen improvements in product quality and flexibility to adapt to changing production conditions,” said Ngo Thoi Nguyen, Vice Plant Director at Hoa Phat.
State-of-the-Art Casting Technology
The 2-strand casters supplied by Primetals Technologies have a rated capacity of six million tons per year. They produce slabs with a thickness of 230 millimeters and widths ranging from 900 to 1,650 millimeters, at casting speeds up to 2 meters per minute. The integrated process control and process optimization systems are equipped with modern expert systems and innovative process models to improve product quality and performance. The advanced LevCon system enhances mold-level control, while the DynaWidth system enables fast and flexible slab-width changes. The DynaFlex hydraulic oscillator further improves strand-surface quality by optimizing mold-oscillation parameters.
Advanced Hot-Strip Mill
The hot-strip mill, with a rated capacity of 5.5 million metric tons per year, produces coils weighing up to 36 tons, with thicknesses from 1.2 to 25.4 millimeters and widths from 900 to 1,650 millimeters. The mill includes a slab-sizing press, two single-stand reversing roughing mill stands with attached edgers, a 7-stand finishing mill, three down coilers, laminar cooling, and auxiliary systems. Four stands in the finishing mill are equipped with pair cross technology, allowing optimal adjustment of the roll-gap contour and improved control over strip profile. Proven designs and advanced automation ensure the equipment works seamlessly to produce high-quality coils across the product mix.
Transforming Data into Quality and Performance
TPQC helps Hoa Phat maximize product and process quality throughout the entire production chain. The system enables long-term data evaluation for each production step, supporting ongoing quality control and improvement. Moreover, a production management system continually optimizes material logistics and inventory.
