With the challenges that the last two years have presented, global supply chains are ever more difficult to navigate in sourcing capital equipment. This means rethinking the supply of their most critical gauging equipment for steel mills. The thickness and width measurement of flat-rolled steel products is a necessary measurement and control activity for any steel mill. These parameters include thickness, width, and profile measurement of steel plates and strips that feed the US economy with material for the automotive and appliances industries, both of which are booming as they haven’t in years.
Thickness gauging, in particular, is an extremely critical aspect of steel production. Customers rely on x-ray thickness gauges in hot and cold mill environments with too many visual challenges to use any optical or laser-based technology for thickness measurement. Additionally, gauges with radioisotope sources are typically not strong enough to pass through steel as thick as what’s present on hot and cold mills. This leads to x-ray gauging as the only realistic solution for gauging.
With steel prices at an all-time high, operations have begun focusing more and more on how to be more efficient with operations and downtime. As the customers are rolling their material, they require gauge feedback to adjust the rolls and ensure they’re rolling precisely what is being demanded by the end-users. With the gauging application being required for steel production, this essentially creates a situation where a functional x-ray gauge can be the primary piece of equipment responsible for making a steel producer hundreds of millions of dollars in a given year.
X-ray gauging technology has existed in these manufacturing environments for over 60 years. While many small suppliers have come and gone, some have remained steady and grown despite the many ups and downs of the industry. Those who have been in the industry their whole careers have probably seen gauges from NDC / IRM, DMC, and Accuray, which are all businesses that no longer exist today in the same form. USA-based suppliers simply haven’t been very resilient over the years in this industry, which often leads USA-based manufacturers to consider European gauging suppliers.
Global Gauge Corporation is the clear solution to this problem. For 22+ years, Global Gauge has been trusted to build measurement equipment for these applications. Global Gauge builds x-ray and isotope thickness gauges for applications ranging from hot strip mills all the way down to aluminum foil mills. And today, more than ever, buying American is a more reliable method for American-based manufacturers. Not only can we engineer and build state-of-the-art gauging systems, but we can also perform upgrades on our competitors’ x-ray thickness gauges in several ways.
In many cases, we can allow the customer to keep some of the mechanical equipment for their existing applications to help them save money and get the most bang-for-buck on an upgrade purchase. We are subject matter experts in all things gauging and can always work with customers on determining the best path forward for long-term sustainability and support.
Global Gauge’s systems are fully manufactured, assembled, and shipped within the USA and have a 24/7/365 emergency service line anytime a customer needs us.
In summary, there isn’t a better balance of long-term sustainability and present-day support for these applications than Global Gauge. We are subject matter experts in gauging and precision measurement systems, and we’ve never been more committed to supporting the USA steel industry. Contact us today to learn more about our product offering and how we can help you for decades to come!
Also read: 8 Reasons The Shipping Industry is Evolving
