Severstal upgraded its converter production facilities at the Cherepovets Iron and Steel Works (CherMK) through a series of scheduled maintenance shutdowns.

The project required a total investment of 843 million rubles, aiming to minimize downtime and optimize operational reliability.

Contractors and internal specialists directed targeted repairs at several key assets, including continuous casting machines No. 2 and No. 5, ladle furnace No. 1, converter No. 3, and a steel vacuum degassing unit.

At the vacuum unit, teams replaced and relined the chamber body to increase sealing efficiency for low-carbon and high-strength steel fabrication.

For the ladle furnace, specialists installed a new electrode lifting hydraulic cylinder and consoles, plus a water evaporative cooling system to decrease electrode consumption by about 20%.

Meanwhile, new water lines at converter No. 3 advanced gas-cleaning reliability and environmental compliance.