Ovako and Insta have built a long-term partnership at Ovako’s Imatra steel mill through a wide range of projects, spanning from electrification and automation of production lines to demanding power quality measurements and control system upgrades. What unites this cooperation is a shared goal: ensuring product quality, safety and operational reliability in a demanding industrial environment.
Ovako is known as a leading European producer of engineering steel, serving customers in industries such as bearings, vehicles and mechanical engineering. Since 2019, the Ovako Group has been a subsidiary of Japan-based Sanyo Special Steel and part of Nippon Steel Corporation, one of the world’s largest steel producers.
With a strong focus on sustainability and quality, Ovako has been producing high-grade technical steel at its Imatra steel mill since 1915. The plant is one of Ovako’s key production sites, with continuous investments in product quality, safety and energy efficiency. Over the years, Insta has supported these goals by acting as Ovako’s partner in several projects related to production systems and electrical infrastructure.
The cooperation has included renewals of production line electrification and automation, deliveries of electrical cabinets and control systems, as well as demanding power quality measurements in a heavy industrial operating environment.
Electrification and automation renewal of the round bar inspection line
At Ovako’s Imatra steel mill, the round bar inspection line is a critical part of the production chain, ensuring product quality before delivery to customers. The line handles steel bar bundles weighing up to several tonnes, and each individual bar is inspected according to customer requirements for both surface and internal defects.
In 2012, Ovako carried out an extensive renewal of the inspection line, with Insta responsible for the electrification and automation as a turnkey delivery. The project included a complete renewal of the production line’s electrical installations, replacement of sensors for roller conveyors and equipment, and the upgrade of the control system into a modern PLC-based solution.
Special attention was also paid to the reliability of the inspection equipment. Sensitive measurement devices were installed in dedicated, protected enclosures to ensure reliable operation in the demanding mill environment.
Safety at the core
The modernisation of the inspection line was implemented in accordance with current machinery safety requirements. A comprehensive risk assessment was carried out, forming the basis for area-specific emergency stop functions, light curtain-based personnel protection and interlocking solutions. The area-based emergency stop concept improved both safety and usability, as the entire line did not need to be stopped for individual work phases.
Insta’s scope included the delivery of electrical cabinets and control desks, the design of automation applications, as well as installation and commissioning. The electrical cabinets and control systems were delivered fully factory-tested, significantly reducing commissioning time during the plant shutdown.
Timo Ivanoff, Project Manager responsible for the electrification and automation of Ovako’s round bar inspection line, found the cooperation with Insta smooth and well managed from start to finish.
“The cooperation with Insta worked extremely well. Everything was done as agreed, installation resources were sufficient, and the project progressed according to schedule. It was a clear advantage that the same supplier was responsible for electrification, automation and installations,” Ivanoff says.
Power quality measurements supporting decision-making
Following the inspection line renewal, cooperation between Ovako and Insta has continued in other areas of production and power distribution. As part of development projects at Ovako’s Imatra steel mill, Insta carried out power quality measurements for the electric arc furnace before and after the modernisation of the static var compensator (SVC) system, which Ovako implemented together with Merus Power in summer 2024.
The purpose of the compensation system is to mitigate voltage deviations in the power grid caused by large and dynamic loads and to improve power quality by compensating reactive power. At Ovako, disturbance levels were increasing, and due to ageing technology, the availability of spare parts was becoming limited. The modernisation extended the service life of the compensation system cost-effectively by utilising the existing infrastructure and passive components.
According to Ovako’s Electrical Engineer Jukka Kyllönen, power quality measurements play a key role in ensuring system performance.
“Because the electric arc furnace is a large and dynamic load, its effects are also visible in the transmission grid. To verify system performance, we decided together with Fingrid and the equipment supplier to carry out power quality measurements before and after the modernisation, conducted by an independent third party,” Kyllönen explains.
Insta was responsible for executing the measurements and reporting. The measurements were carried out in the high-voltage network (110 kV) over one-week periods before the project and after commissioning. Their objective was to provide reliable and comparable data on how heavy and dynamic loads affect grid behaviour, supporting decision-making in a demanding industrial environment.
“Cooperation with Insta was easy. Measurement schedules were agreed flexibly, the measurements were carried out as planned, and we received the reports as promised,” Kyllönen says.
PLC and I/O solution for AC drive control in the rolling mill
Ovako implemented a renewal project for the AC drives of rolling stands 1 and 2 at the Imatra roughing mill, updating the drive control systems to meet current requirements. The project was designed in cooperation with Prevas Oy, while Insta was responsible for manufacturing the PLC and I/O distribution cabinets as well as local control and junction boxes.
“Insta was selected as the supplier based on a tendering process. Although we had no previous cooperation with Insta, a colleague’s recommendation and the overall offering during the tender phase were convincing,” says Joni Lindblad, Department Engineer responsible for procurement and implementation of the project.
The project schedule was tight, and not all initial data was available during the tender phase. Despite this, the delivery was completed in a controlled manner, and according to Lindblad, Insta demonstrated flexibility in responding to changes that emerged during the project.
Insta’s delivery included four PLC and I/O distribution cabinets and a wide range of enclosure solutions: approximately ten local control boxes, around 25 junction boxes, and about 15 control boxes for safety gates and light curtains.
The solutions were installed partly in electrical and automation rooms, partly in auxiliary equipment areas, and mainly in the rolling hall, where a dusty and mechanically demanding environment sets high requirements for structures and implementation. The control systems supplied by Insta were integrated into the AC drive control of rolling stands 1 and 2 and connected via fieldbuses to three Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 control systems of the roughing mill.
Flexible cooperation and high-quality results
Lindblad describes Insta’s quality as good and says the cooperation worked well, giving special praise for flexibility.
“During commissioning, some individual deviations were detected in the wiring, and these were corrected smoothly. It was not possible to carry out full pre-testing at Insta’s facilities in every respect. The quality of Insta’s work was high, and I can recommend Insta for future projects – flexibility regarding changes and additions was excellent.”
Lindblad sees the joint project as a solid foundation for future cooperation in similar projects. Local presence in South-Eastern Finland was also considered a clear advantage for upcoming projects and potential smaller deliveries.
