Stripco Inc. Announces EPS Technology Expansion Project

Stripco Inc. announced an expansion project at its Mishawaka, Indiana facility. The flat rolled steel processor will install a pickling line that features EPS technology (Eco Pickled Surface) from The Material Works. EPS technology is environmentally friendly, using slurry blasting as an alternative to traditional acid pickling. There are no toxic chemicals involved. A mixture of steel grit, water, and rust-inhibitor is used to remove scale from hot rolled black surfaces. This innovative approach also creates a more consistent surface, removes light hot mill defects, and is available dry but still corrosion-resistant.

The Material Works and EPS technology were named American Metal Market’s 2011 Awards for Steel Excellence winner of the Environmental Responsibility / Stewardship category and finalist in the Best Innovation category.

Stripco Inc’s pickling line will run coils up to .375 inches thick, 72 inches wide, and 60,000 lbs. Annual capacity is 200,000 tons. The line is built by Red Bud Industries and will have a shape-correction leveler from Braner USA.

“We are excited to work with The Material Works and EPS technology as it’s introduced to the steel industry,” said Eric Hiler, General Manager of Stripco Inc. “Our customers certainly see value in the uniform surface, the fact that it’s available dry (no oil), and the environmentally friendly process; all at a price comparable to traditional acid pickling.”

Please follow the construction and installation progress, due to begin December 2011, on Twitter and at www.stripco.com.

About Stripco Inc.:
Established in 1984, Stripco Inc. processes flat rolled steel products at its nearly 250,000-square-foot facility. Stripco Inc. began with a focus on narrow (down to .300 wide) slitting and custom edge conditioning. The company added its precision cold rolled strip division in 1996. Today, Stripco Inc. does slitting, edging, cutting-to length, oscillating, cold rolling, annealing, and tempering to make a wide variety of products and serve many industries.

For more information about EPS technology, and the partners mentioned above, please visit:

The Material Works
EPSprocess.com
Red Bud Industries
Braner USA