The Austrian international industrial equipment supplier Andritz has been awarded a contract by the Allegro joint venture of EVRAZ and Rail Service Industrial Group, to implement a train wheel production line at a factory being built in Russia’s Titanium Valley Special Economic Zone, located in Sverdlovsk Oblast.

The contract was signed by Valerij Galchenkov (managing director of Allegro GmbH), Heinz Autischer (head of metals processing at Andritz), and Daniel Huber, (managing director of Schuler).

Andritz Group subsidiaries Andritz Maerz and Schuler will supply the production line, with the first consignment of equipment being scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2022.

The production process comprises several stages. The blanks (produced by EVRAZ) are heated to 1,250°C in a rotary hearth furnace, then descaled and preformed in a 10,000 tonne hydraulic press.

After this, the blanks are rolled in a wheel-rolling machine developed by Schuler and forged into a finished product in a crimping and piercing press with 5,000 tonnes of press force.

This is followed by a geometric test in a laser-based measuring system and permanent marking in a marking press. Finally, the wheels undergo heat treatment and the running surfaces hardened.

Allegro is investing about 180 million euros in this production facility, which will be able to produce 200,000 train wheels per year — and up to 300,000 with a further extension. Production is scheduled to start in Quarter 4 of 2022, and the project will create a total of 425 new jobs.

Denis Novozhenov, vice president of EVRAZ, said: “We are looking forward to reaching this milestone with Andritz as the main supplier. The production of train wheels requires the highest levels of competence and strict quality control, and this begins in production of the steel. The know-how from EVRAZ is vital to this project.”