In 2019 we began working with Hongwang Group, the largest stainless steel cold rolling mill in China, supporting the group's deep processing programme with stainless steel sanding lines and 8K mirror polishing lines.
Scope of supply
The programme covered two distinct finishing routes. The sanding lines produce the satin and hairline finishes that go to architectural and appliance customers. The 8K mirror lines take material through to a full reflective finish — a separate and considerably more demanding process, with grinding, progressive polishing, buffing, washing, drying and film lamination integrated into one continuous pass.
- Sanding lines. Continuous No.4 and hairline production at mill volumes.
- 8K mirror lines. Full-process lines, delivered, installed and commissioned on site.
- Commissioning and training. Carried out at the customer's plant on production material.
What the project demanded
Working for a mill of this scale changes the requirement. Throughput is non-negotiable because the line sits inside a continuous production flow. Consistency matters more than peak capability, because material from a single coil will be cut, distributed and installed in different buildings by different contractors — panels that were adjacent in the coil end up adjacent on a façade, and any drift down the length of the run becomes visible there.
It also means the equipment has to be maintainable without long stoppages. On a continuous mill operation, availability is a specification, not an aspiration.
Ongoing operation
All of the lines supplied are in continuous mass production, held to the group's internal standards for surface consistency. A project of this size is a reference for what our equipment does in sustained industrial duty rather than in demonstration conditions.