JSW Steel Ltd. has commissioned a new 350-ton Ruhrstahl Heraeus (RH) secondary metallurgy unit at its Vijayanagar Works Steel Plant 4 in Toranagallu, Karnataka, strengthening its steelmaking capabilities and throughput at one of its key integrated sites. The facility has been installed at JSW Vijayanagar Metallics Ltd. (JVML), a subsidiary of the company, and is designed to support higher volumes of premium-quality steel production.
According to the SMS group, the technology supplier for the project, the installation is the world’s first operational RH unit to combine a Ladle Rocker with a Fast Vessel Exchange (FvE) system. The configuration is intended to improve operational efficiency, safety and production flexibility in secondary metallurgy. The RH facility has an annual production capacity of three million tonnes.
The RH unit enables vacuum treatment of molten steel, allowing JVML to produce cleaner steel grades with improved mechanical properties. The plant incorporates a Ladle Rocker system that allows controlled lifting and tilting of the ladle, alongside an FvE system that reduces vessel exchange times. This combination is designed to shorten turnaround cycles, extend vessel life and enable faster grade changes compared with conventional RH installations.
SMS group said the integrated Ladle Rocker and FvE setup reduces idle time and increases availability of the RH unit, supporting higher annual output without a proportional increase in manpower or plant footprint. The design also improves accessibility for maintenance and enhances operator safety by reducing manual intervention during vessel handling.
The project includes the installation of an on-top ferro-silicon bunker, which increases alloy availability at the RH station. This is intended to prevent charging interruptions and shorten processing times, contributing to more stable operations and improved yields during electric steel production.
“The new 350-ton RH unit with Fast Vessel Exchange represents a step change in our production capability and grade flexibility,” said Nikhil Agashe, Vice President at JSW Steel. He added that the unit integrates into Steel Plant 4 at Vijayanagar and supports improvements in operational efficiency, safety and maintainability.
Christina Godolt, Contract Manager at SMS group, said the commissioning marked a technology milestone for both companies, adding that the solution delivers benefits in plant effectiveness, lifecycle costs and safety.
JSW Steel and SMS group previously commissioned a 350-ton RH unit at the company’s Dolvi Works in 2023, followed by a second unit in 2024. Based on the performance of those installations, JSW Steel decided to equip all RH units at Vijayanagar Works Steel Plant 4 with the same Ladle Rocker and FvE configuration.
JSW Steel Ltd. is an integrated steel producer with manufacturing operations across India, producing a range of flat and long steel products for domestic and international markets.
