150 years of the Shelton Works - page 30
150 years of the Shelton Works - page 30
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| All of Shelton's steel was
to be continuously cast. Shelton chose to install the most modern technology,
and this method offered - indeed still offers - enormous advantages in
efficiency. Less than a couple of hours after the steel has been molten
in the ladle, a finished section can be produced.
Capital investment didn't need to be so high, and nor did the manpower involved, but efficiency is much improved. The Works was to have a rolling mill as well, like its steelmaking and casting plant, of modern and forward-looking design. Work began in 1961 with the clearing of two million tons of slag from the site before building work could begin, and ended with the first cast from the new plant on an historic 27th June 1964. For a few weeks the Kaldos and the open hearth furnaces worked side by side, but the latter ceased production, along with the 32-inch mill which had been working since 1892, in August of the same year. Shelton site became unique in that it was the only steelworks to depend solely on a concast for its supply, and this led to worldwide recognition and interest. |
