LIBERTY Ostrava has completed a CZK 15.5 million modernization of the plant’s Arnold line, which is use in the production of the beams used in motorway guard rails. The investment initially allowed the business to widen its product portfolio and now the line can extend the rails by almost 50% to more than 6 meters long, which will make the assembly of its safety retention systems easier and quicker.

„ The Ostrava mill is one of the country’s biggest producers of safety retention systems, with more than half of the guard rails we make being used here at home. That’s why we pay great attention to their development and continuously work on their improvement and the ease they can be installed, while reflecting the needs of our customers. We have implemented this innovation because of the rising interest of costumers in extended beams, which help them to install these important safety systems much more effectively,” said Tomáš Hamalčík, sales specialist for safety barriers & mine supports at LIBERTY Ostrava.

During the first phase of the project the steelworks extended the beam portfolio, which brought optimization and acceleration of production.  The second phase, which has now been completed after four months, included shifting the calibration press, extending the bailer with a conveyor, adjusting the storage programme and upgrading the software of the whole line. The line adjustment was carried out by the Ostrava company Ingeteam.

“We have successfully tested and commissioned our modernised manufacturing line. All the required sections have already passed through the line and I can confirm that the guaranteed modernization parametres have been met,” added Tom Plachký, project manager at LIBERTY Ostrava.

The Ostrava steelworks has produced road safety guard rails for more than 50 years, producing more than 58,000 km of them since 1968. It is one of the few mills in the world which has almost 100% in house, integrated manufacture of safety barriers, ensuring the highest level of reliability. More than 50% of guard rails from Ostrava are used in the domestic market.

LIBERTY Ostrava manufactures five types of guard rails: single-sided and double-sided guard rails; bridge and parapet guard rails; and guard rails with enhanced protection for motorcyclists. It produces 33 separate retention systems[1] in total. Over the last few years, the company has designed a number of new or innovated retention systems. Besides the design the material of which barriers are made is also being constantly innovated, including the use of micro-alloyed steel.

A recent innovation is the ʾmotorcyclistʿ barrier, which is equipped with a lower beam. This prevents motorcyclists from slipping beneath the rails in an accident, which often causes serious injuries, and at the same time mitigates the consequences of the biker’s impact into the barrier by absorbing part of their kinetic energy in the event of an accident.

The Ostrava safety barriers are the elementary safety feature on most Czech roads. According to the Czech Police statistics, they have contributed to decrease in number of fatal accidents by 38% and accidents with serious consequences by 49% on the roads in the Moravian-Silesian region over the last 15 years.

[1] The retention system consists of beam, posts, distance parts, transitional or dilatation parts etc.

Other information:

LIBERTY Ostrava is an integrated steel business with an annual production capacity of approximately 3.6 million tonnes per annum serving primarily construction, machinery and oil & gas industries. The company is a domestic leader in the manufacture of road barriers and tubes. In addition to the Czech market, it supplies its products to more than 40 countries around the world. Together with its subsidiaries in Ostrava, the company has 6,000 employees. The company manufactures its products with a minimum possible environmental footprint. The mill is part of LIBERTY Steel Group.

 LIBERTY Steel Group is part of GFG Alliance, a collection of global businesses and investments owned by Sanjeev Gupta and his family. The Alliance is structured into three core industrial pillars: LIBERTY Steel Group, ALVANCE Aluminium Group and SIMEC Energy Group, independent of each other yet united through shared values and a purpose to create a sustainable future for industry and society. GFG Alliance employs c.35,000 people, across 30 countries and has revenues of >USD $20bn.

libertysteelgroup.com/cz/
www.libertysteelgroup.com
www.gfgalliance.com