Helsinki, Finland, July 19, 2007 - Ovako has signed an ABB Full Service agreement for the maintenance operations at its Koverhar steel mill in Finland. ABB will assume the overall responsibility for Ovako Koverhar’s maintenance on November 1, 2007. The five-year Full Service agreement is based on a strategic partnership and about 70 employees will transfer to ABB. The Full Service agreement covers Ovako Koverhar mill’s mechanical, electrical and automation maintenance, including planning.
The ABB Full Service agreement will help Ovako Koverhar focus on its core business of producing 600,000 tons of steel billets annually and secure the service expertise needed to keep the mill running smoothly." We are committed to develop maintenance processes and plant productivity in cooperation with Ovako Koverhar,” says Ilkka Tykkyläinen, Senior Vice President of ABB Service in Finland. "ABB has a strong experience in maintenance co-operations and production effectiveness tools in Finland, as well as globally." Ovako is a leading producer of special long steel products for the rolling bearing, heavy vehicle, automotive and engineering industries. Production covers low-alloy steels and carbon steels in the form of bars, wire rod, tubes, rings and pre-components.
The company has 16 production sites and several sales companies in Europe and the USA. Net sales in 2006 were EUR 1.4 billion and the company employs 4,300 people. Total steel production is about two million tons. ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.
The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 109,000 people.
