Redcar Blast Furnace Komatsu Akermann Leibherr RB

[XS650]

Some plant working hard around Redcar Blast Furnace they've only got orders till September then their's a good chance the Indian owners are shutting it down. Ending 170 years of steelmaking on Teesside :
Komatsu wa760 (

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Leibherr Akerman Rehandlers

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Komatsu WA800

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RB30 magnet with drop ball

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Leibherr 934

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[John Gaunt]

Great pictures, Craig.
It's such a pity that successive governments have allowed manufacturing industry to decline to the sorry state it is today. The future economy was claimed to be in financial services not manufacturing, well, we've all seen how successful that has been over the last year or so
I do hope that Redcar does not go the same way as all the others.
When that American warship was damaged by terrorists in the middle east a few years ago, it turned out that there was no steel mill in the US capable of making the armour plate needed to repair it. The work had to be done in the far east !
I feel the old blood pressure rising, so I will step down from my horse

[XS650]

Not really one for state intervention in anything. But in the future what likely business lad ( or girl) is going to start up a steelworks or a shipyard from scratch ? its impossible.

[Mike d550]

Its been a while since i was round the Redcar steelworks, it looks as though Hydrex are keeping their komatsus in a cleaner condition that Multiserve did with their cats, they always looked filthy, though i liked popping round to see the 992 working!

What i want to know about the Redcar steelworks is that the 3 companys who pulled out of buying steel from Corus all had contracts for several years to take steel from Redcar, surely this is a breech of contract, if they pull out i thought there would be a penalty clause for doing so!

The problem with Redcar is that it cannot compete and make steel anywhere near the price that they can make it in china and India ! Why not limit the amount of steel coming in from abroad or tax it to make it more viable to buy steel from the UK. We have to protect our own people/economy!

I'm with you john, i'm going to step down now!!!!!!

Regards

Mike D550

[IBH]

What is the material that the 30RB, Liebherr 934 and Akerman are all working on?

[XS650]

Its iron , when the blast furnace is producing too much iron for the finishing process's its poured into pits on the ground allowed to cool and re-handled. The rail trucks that carry the molten iron are called 'torpedos' and two can be seen in the background.

[XS650]

Its been a while since i was round the Redcar steelworks, it looks as though Hydrex are keeping their komatsus in a cleaner condition that Multiserve did with their cats, they always looked filthy, though i liked popping round to see the 992 working!

Moved into the digital age yet Mike why not post a few 992 pics
The shovels don't seem to handle red hot molten slag like they used to ,its just a greenish colour sand now. Mind it still looks as if the Komatsus have a fire extinguisher thing on the bonnets. Their's some good stories/pics of Michigan shovels on this very plant exploding here;-

http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/For ... lag&page=2

[Mike d550]

Here's a photo of the 992 that used to work at Corus before Hydrex got the job and changed the machines to Komatsu!

I've got some more pics somewhere i'll try and find them

Sadly i have not bought a digital SLR, but to be honest i've not been out with the 35mm SLR for a while due to the poor summer we've had!

Regards

Mike D550