Hatch wins 2024 AIST Project Excellence Award for remarkable work on the NLMK Walking Beam Reheat Furnace project

Pittsburgh, PA– Hatch is proud to share that the NLMK Pennsylvania LLC’s (NLMK) Walking Beam Reheat Furnace project has won the 2024 Project Excellence Award from the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST). This award recognizes outstanding achievements in project execution and demonstration of remarkable work on the most challenging and innovative projects in the steel industry. 

The project, which commenced in 2016, involved the design and installation of a new, high efficiency walking beam furnace (WBF) at NLMK’s Hot Strip Mill located in Farrell, Pennsylvania. The project replaced outdated 1960s–1970s technology with a modern furnace that improves both production efficiency and product quality. This innovative upgrade addressed the deep-rooted problems of the previous pusher-style reheat furnaces, such as high fuel consumption, excess scale, and product defects, while enabling NLMK to produce higher quality steel products. The new WBF will allow NLMK to better serve its customers with a broader range of materials while meeting the ever-increasing demands of the steel industry.  

Despite facing significant challenges, including supply chain disruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic, the project team delivered the furnace successfully, making it one of the longest of its kind in the United States. 

"We are thrilled and incredibly proud to have been recognized by AIST as part of the NLMK team with the 2024 Project Excellence Award,” said Neil Tannyan, USA regional manager at Hatch. “This award is a testament to the dedication, innovation, and teamwork of the entire project team. We are honored to be part of an industry that constantly strives for improvement and innovation. This was a very challenging project at a facility that had not seen an investment of this magnitude in several decades with several stoppages due to market conditions. The Hatch team was there alongside NLMK for the project duration and were instrumental to its' success." 

Hatch remains dedicated to creating positive change in the steel industry, continuing to innovate and deliver transformative projects that drive efficiency, sustainability, and success. Hatch is excited about future opportunities to collaborate with industry leaders and implement solutions that will shape the future of steel production. 

About the AIST Project Excellence Award

The AIST Project Excellence Award is presented annually based on the following judging criteria: business success, safety program and performance, technical success, and project management systems. The award celebrates the successful management of complex projects and showcases the ability to navigate obstacles while delivering transformative results for the industry. 

For more information about the award, click here. 

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For additional information, please contact: 
Lindsay Janca 
Global Director, Public Relations 
Tel: +1 905 403 4199 
Email: media@hatch.com

About Hatch

Hatch is a global engineering, project delivery, and professional services firm. Whatever our clients envision, our teams can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 10,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve.

Find out more on www.hatch.com/About-Us