ATTAINING AUTOMOTIVE QUALITY ON NEW GALVANIZING LINE AT SOLLAC FLORANGE

It is now almost four years since the Sollac Group announced its intention to make a supplementary investment in response to commercial changes, especially those in the automotive sector. That is why the galvanising line at Florange started (on 2 January 1991) with the objective that 80% of its production should be for that sector, once the running-in phase was completed. The products manufactured on this line are: Extragal, where the coating is essentially zinc, and Galvallia, where the coating contains 90%Zn, with 10%Fe coming from the steel. Special arrangements were made before and during the start, and during the run-up to full production. The results expected, though ambitious, have been attained and even exceeded. The first tonnes, intended for non-visible parts, were made less than a month after starting up, and those for visible applications were produced in March 1991. These attributes have been part of current production since the end of the first quarter of 1991.