Stainless steel flat products producer Columbus Stainless introduced a new range of lean duplex stainless steels in 2010, which offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional austenitic stainless steels, Columbus Stainless CEO Dave Martin tells Engineering News.

He says type UNS S32001/EN1.4482 stainless steel grade can be used as a substitute for 304L and type UNS S32304/EN 1.4362 as a substitute for 316L types of stainless steel, offering weight reductions of up to 40%, with subsequent cost savings from 30% to 60%.

Columbus Stainless is also developing a 301 grade stainless steel as a cheaper alternative to 304 for use in the manufacturing of a variety of products, including coaches, truck and trailer bodies and catering equipment.

Martin highlights that stainless steel is being supplied for the construction of State-owned power utility Eskom’s Medupi and Kusile coal-fired power stations as well as the Ingula pumped-storage scheme, in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal respectively, as well as to the coal mines supplying Medupi and Kusile.

The applications of stainless steel supplied by Columbus Stainless include bunker and chute liners, chutes, chimney liners, heat shields and tanks for the water treatment plants at Medupi and Kusile and liners for the surge chamber at Ingula.

Stainless steel is also widely used in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Pro-gramme (REIPPPP) and includes applications such as hot-water solar tanks.

Martin adds that Columbus Stainless is interacting with all the role-players in these projects and the company’s successes to date include using Columbus’s 3CR12 utility ferritic stainless steel in the construction of State-owned freight logistics group Transnet’s fleet of coal and ore wagons.

Moreover, he notes that stainless steel is being considered for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s passenger coach replacement project, which will result in the local manufacture of thousands of coaches over a ten-year period.

“We believe there is also a case to be made for the use of stainless steel in solar parks supplied as part of the REIPPPP, in roofing, cladding and palisade fencing where stainless steel is usually discarded prematurely on account of inaccurate price perceptions. In many cases, 3CR12 is a competitively priced material in these applications and should be seriously considered, as it offers low maintenance and has a long life cycle,” states Martin.

Dealing with Challenges

Martin says the global stainless steel markets remain weak and are impacted on by low demand, strong production output in China and significant cost pressures, owing to falling prices and oversupply. Moreover, he adds that many mills have cut production, in line with this low demand, and all mills have implemented tough cost-cutting and efficiency improvement programmes.

“Columbus Stainless is facing the same challenges as others in the industry and is reducing operational costs to remain competitive. We are targeting the infrastructural development projects that constitute the R4-trillion 15-year National Infrastructure Plan by securing as many contracts as possible to ensure the survival of the country’s key beneficiation industries and that we achieve the maximum benefit from South Africa’s economic growth,” stresses Martin.
“Columbus Stainless has ample capacity and technological capability to supply the needs of the South African economy and, with the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation as a key shareholder, Columbus is ideally positioned to make a meaningful contribution to the beneficiation of South Africa’s natural resources,” he concludes.