OREANDA-NEWS. April 29, 2011. Tata  Steel has announced it will invest 8 million pounds at its Clydebridge plant in  Cambuslang, Glasgow, to increase its capability to produce high-strength steel  plate, reported the press-centre of Tata Steel.     

Workers  at Clydebridge carry out two processes – quenching and tempering – which  strengthen steel plate. The investment – which includes expanding the plant’s  two furnaces, and installing two new gas-cutting machines and a new stamping  and marking machine – will boost the output from the specialist plant by up to  50% and lead to the creation of about 26 new jobs.

Jon Bolton,  Director of Tata Steel’s Long Products Hub, said: “This investment supports our  ambition to focus on making premium products for profitable markets.

“The Clydebridge  plant specialises in producing difficult-to-make high-strength steels used in  some of the most challenging environments around the world. Increasing our  capability at Clydebridge will help us to maximise the value of the steel plate  we make in the UK and make this business more competitive and sustainable.

 “Steel demand is not back to what it was before the  recession – different  sectors have recovered at different rates. But we will continue to invest to  enhance our capability in manufacturing specialist and highly technical steel  products.”

Today’s  news follows the announcement last August of an ?8 million investment in a new  heavy-duty press and other equipment at Tata Steel’s nearby Dalzell plate  rolling mill, in Motherwell, and the recruitment of 60 new workers across the  two Scottish plants.

Colin Timmins,  Works Manager of the Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks, said: “We have a  fantastic workforce and this investment is a reward for the innovation and  flexibility they have shown.

“This is the  second major investment we are celebrating in less than a year. It’s the  largest investment in the Clydebridge steelworks for many years and it will be  welcomed by our workers, their families and the whole community.”

The  quenching and tempering processes involve heating the steel plate to up to  1,000°C  before cooling it, either rapidly using water, or gradually. These processes  alter the microstructure of the steel to improve its strength.

Quenched  and tempered steel plate is typically used in the mining and energy exploration  sectors, in products such as underground mining structures, on offshore oil and  gas platforms and in “yellow goods” – cranes, excavators and dumper trucks. The  majority of Clydebridge’s products are exported.

Wayne  Bird, Clydebridge Branch Secretary for Community Union, said: “This is  fantastic news which proves that our Scottish workforce is worth investing in.  Together with the recent investment in Dalzell, this will help us to develop a  sustainable steel industry in Scotland and secure employment at the plants.”

The steel processed at Clydebridge is manufactured in  Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, before being rolled at one of Tata Steel’s two  UK plate mills – Scunthorpe or Dalzell.   The recruitment at Clydebridge will start next spring prior to the  expanded capacity coming on line in summer2012. The plant’s  capacity will increase to 3,200 tonnes per week. About 100 people are currently  employed in Clydebridge, with a further 230 in Dalzell.

About Tata Steel in Europe
The European operations of Tata Steel (formerly known as Corus)  comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With main steelmaking  operations in the UK and the Netherlands, they supply steel and related  services to the construction, automotive, packaging, material handling and  other demanding markets worldwide.

Tata Steel is one of the world’s top ten steel producers. The combined  group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and  approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.