New $27.9-Million NKS Plant In Mexico Will Supply Heavy Steel Forgings And Castings To Shipyards And Industry

Full Color Facilities Brochure Available Shipbuilding executives from 14 major North American shipyards recently toured the site of the NKS steel forging and casting plant in Puerto Lazaro Cardenas on Mexico's West Coast. With an accumulated investment of 50 billion pesos (about $27.9 million), Mexico will next year place in operation its first heavy manufacturing plant located in that municipality.

Trial runs will begin in November of this year with the first tapping of steel, and production is scheduled for the first quarter of 1985.

Located on Cayacal Island, occupying an area of 52,600 square meters, the NKS plant is a result of a joint venture of Nacional Financiera (NAFINSA), the Mexican Development Bank; SIDERMEX, the official steel consortium of Mexico; and Kobe Steel, a leading Japanese steel producer.

Major equipment at the new NKS facility will include: The steelmaking shop will be equipped with a 40-ton electric arc furnace, a 60-ton ladle furnace, and a vacuum degassing system.

The steel casting shop will have a 130 ton maximum pouring weight and will be equipped with heat treatment furnaces (100/300). The steel forging shop will boast a 400/ 600-ton forging press and a 1,500- ton forging press. The machine shop will be equipped with horizontal lathes up to 300/2,200 (mm) x 15,000 (mm) N.C., vertical lathes up to 8,500/500 (mm) x 5,000 (mm) N.C., and horizontal milling machines up to 180 (mm x 4,500 (mm) x 1.200 (mm) N.C. A 3,500-ton capacity hydraulic press and a 2,000- ton bending roll as well as a flame cutting machine will be installed in the heavy steel fabricating shop.

Guests from U.S. shipyards and other firms who recently toured the new plant included Louis Minett, senior vice president, American Bureau of Shipping; Ing. Luciano Derchi, ABS representative in Mexico; Lawrence Brown, executive vice president, Jacksonville Shipyards, Inc., Paul Glaske, president and Bob Wallace, vice president, Marathon LeTourneau Company; Carlos Agnese, vice president-contract administration, Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp.; Robert Kiefer, assistant to the president, Georpe G. Sharp, Inc.; Frank Cruze, director of purchasing, Tampa Shipyards, Inc.; Paul O'Keefe, vice president, Todd Shipyard Corp.

Representatives of NKS attending the tour included Lie. Pablo Padilla Ramirez, general director, Lie. Alfredo Marquez Lopez, deputy general director, and Sr. Jose Carrasco Riojas, commercial sub-director.

Lexington International Trading was represented by Henry Engelbrecht, president and Darfoon Du, North American sales representative.

Mr. Ramirez, general director of the NKS plant, informed the industry leaders that the new facility will provide Mexico with the capability of producing forgings and castings up to 80 tons in weight with an annual capacity of 23,000 tons of forged parts, 20,000 tons of castings and 240,000 machine hours. The plant will offer to shipbuilders heavy castings and forgings for rudders, stocks, tail and line shafting, propellers, and related parts of the highest quality, conforming to the standards of the classification societies.

NKS deputy general director, Mr. Lopez and commercial sub-director Mr. Riojas reviewed the latest technology and engineering designs that are being incorporated into the new forging and casting complex.

The new plant will serve industries including the marine, naval, mining, petroleum, petrochemical, cement, sugar, electrical, nuclear, rail, iron and steel industries.

Several of the tour guests expressed definite intentions to place orders with the new NKS facility.

A free full-color 16-page brochure on the new NKS facility is now available. This book contains full details and drawings on the new plant layout, as well as data listing the heavy equipment installed and annual output of products from the steel making shop, casting shop, forging shop and heavy fabrication shop. Marine products include steam turbine rotor shafts and casings, rudder stocks, rudders, propeller bonnets, stern frames, sterntube bushings, propeller shafts and intermediate shafts. A full color cutaway illustration of a ship showing units manufactured, is included along with color photos of plant equipment.

For a free copy of the new NKS brochure, circle the number at the end of this article.

The NKS plant site inspection was initiated and coordinated by Mr. Engelbrecht, president of Lexington International Trading Company, North American sales agent for NKS.

Further information regarding this project may be obtained from Mr. Engelbrecht at Lexington International Trading, 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10176; (212) 697-3333, or from NKS Executive Offices at 404 Paseo de la Reforma, 06600 Mexico, D.F.

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Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 8, May 1984

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