Ali Akbar Akbari – Deputy of Development and Technology

SMIC is a producer of raw materials needed for Mobarakeh Steel and implements various projects that are planned to increase quality and production and develop infrastructures, preserve the environment, and social responsibilities. The main focus of all its projects is based on improving quality and increasing production.

Ali Akbar Akbari, Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC, in an interview with a Public Relations reporter said: Considering that in SMIC, the main focus of actions is based on increasing the production of quality products, most of the defined projects are also in this direction, so that we can maintain the company’s production process with the best quality in the first stage and increase it in the next stages.

He added: In this regard, projects have been defined so that we can take the necessary actions in three different sections of maintaining and increasing the current production quality, increasing production in long-term and strategic plans, and infrastructures. Therefore, attention to the infrastructure sector is necessary to achieve the other two goals.

According to Akbari, the main projects that started last year are in three sections of production, development, and infrastructure projects.

He continued: In the infrastructure section, considering that the company’s decision is based on increasing production capacity, we need infrastructures such as water and electricity and energy in general. Therefore, we have defined projects to supply water to current factories and development plans. Two major projects include transferring water from the Karat Plain with a length of 50 kilometers, which currently has about 45 percent progress.

Akbari added: The second project, which is both in the context of social and environmental responsibilities of the region and in the infrastructure sector to supply part of the water needed by SMIC factories, is the urban wastewater treatment of Taybad city, which is being implemented with an investment of 12,000 billion Rials. He stated: Wastewater and sewage are collected from inside the city, and after treatment, the water is transferred to the treatment plant by transmission lines and after treatment by other lines is transferred to the company, which we hope to supply about 35 percent of the company’s annual water consumption in this way.

The Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC continued: About ten thousand billion Rials have been spent for this project and in total, the investment for water supply and part of other energy infrastructure is about 22 thousand billion Rials, which these projects have had 40 percent progress and we hope to be able to launch this line by the end of this year.

According to Akbari, in the electricity section, which is a general problem of the country and most industrial companies are grappling with this problem, the preference has been to make more investment and take a harder path and go to renewable energies.

He added: In this regard, projects have been defined, one of which is the production of 200 megawatts of wind power.

Ali Akbar Akbari, Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC, added: Considering the geographical scope of the region, which is located in the wind corridor of Iran, especially the Sangan to Saravan line, there is a very good potential for electricity production from the divine power of wind. With the follow-ups that have been done, the relevant permits have also been issued, and now the necessary platform has been provided and the technologists have also been selected. Akbari stated: 200 million euros have been invested for this project, its resources have been absorbed, and the permits have also been completed. This major project will be implemented in collaboration with the Mobarakeh Steel Group, because after commissioning, while injecting electricity into the national grid, which will alleviate some of the network load, it is a kind of income generation for the Mobarakeh Steel Group and we can use this produced electricity at peak times.

Akbari said: Currently, this project has started and almost part of its engineering has been done. Considering the novelty of the project, we hope to have good progress in the coming months and it should be noted that wind measurement towers and other preliminary works of this project have also been done.

According to the Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC, the next defined project is currently being feasibility studied and reviewed, which if decided, the project is to double the gas transmission line to the company. Although the predicted and current projects need gas consumption, there are problems such as Sangan being at the end of the gas transmission line.

He added: This project is only defined and not yet complete and needs about 8000 billion Rials of investment, which we hope to be launched during the first six months of the current year if approved and obstacles are removed.

Akbari stated: The mentioned projects are the infrastructure projects of SMIC, which the company needs for its development projects to supply water and electricity and energy in general.

He continued: In the development section of the company, projects have also been defined, which are of great importance considering that the raw materials of Mobarakeh Steel are supplied by SMIC.

He continued; Due to the imbalance in the production of concentrate and pellet and its consumption, and the fact that we are generally facing a shortage of concentrate and pellet in the country, issues have been predicted for the present and future and for this reason, the project to increase the capacity of pellet under the ceiling of 2.5 million tons has also been included in the company’s development plans, which its investment amounts to about 60 million euros. Currently, the purchase of some equipment is underway and has made about 20 to 22 percent progress and we hope to launch this line by the end of this year.

According to Akbari, the next project is the launch of a new 2.5-ton concentrate plant, which has been tendered and has made 13 percent progress. In this new plant, considering the shortage of iron ore resources in the country and the use of magnetite iron ore by industrial and mining companies, we have gone to hematite resources using new technology, which is being done for the first time in the country on this scale.

According to the Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC, in this regard, technical tests have been performed and with a little help from IMIDRO and related organizations and customs, there is hope that the executive operations will start in the coming months. But it should be said that the necessary investment permits have been obtained and the start of the project is a good transformation. Akbari added: Considering that for the first time in the Khorasan region on this scale, hematite iron ore, which was sold as waste, is to be used, a good and big work is being done on a national scale.

According to the Deputy of Development and Technology of SMIC, in this regard, technical tests have been conducted and with a little help from IMIDRO and related organizations and customs, there is hope that the executive operations will start in the coming months. But it should be said that the necessary investment permits have been obtained and the start of the project is a good transformation. Akbari added: Considering that for the first time in the Khorasan region on this scale, hematite iron ore, which was sold as waste, is to be used, a good and big work is being done on a national scale.

Akbari pointed out: This project is one of the honors of Research and Development and “R&D” for Sangan Khorasan Steel Mining Industries Company, because almost 3 years of research work has been done and more than 46 different models have been tested on the region’s iron ore, of which 3 successful tests were registered in accordance with research and standards and finally a final technical summary was made on one model and an investment of about 100 thousand billion Rials was made.

According to Akbari, the next issue is that due to the reduction of magnetite resources being extracted, the Mobarakeh Group has started working on other iron ores such as hematite and lower grades, so that fewer companies like Mobarakeh accept the risk and investment on other ores other than magnetite.

Akbari added: In addition to hematite, in the R&D section, the Technology and Innovation Company of Mobarakeh Steel, along with SMIC, jointly worked on less magnetic ores even less than hematite such as goethite and siderite and the rest of the ores that are not even bought and sold, research work has been done.

He continued: The next project due to the lack of rail loading capacity and the lack of potential to transport 5 million tons of pellet product, the truck loading project with a capacity of 3 and a half million tons per year has been planned.

According to Akbari, truck loading definitely needs a truck and for carrying cargo, there are problems on the road, so investments have been made and in this regard, the necessary preparations have also been made. Also, due to problems in the field of transportation, last year we were left with the transfer of about 1.8 million tons of produced pellet and this caused the production to be disrupted and part of the company’s capital to be out of reach.

The Deputy of Development and Technology of Steel announced this point that the 5 million ton concentrate plant produces 5 million tons of waste; generally, companies pour this waste into waste dumps in liquid form.

Akbari emphasized: In SMIC, for this purpose, waste water is collected, which in addition to reducing water consumption by 50 percent compared to the norm of other factories, dry waste is done by a device called a spreader, which is a mechanized waste accumulation system, so that we can re-deposit the existing waste in a dry form and in a way return the soil that we have taken from the mine to the mine.

According to him, 25 million euros have been invested for this project, which is both an environmental project and, while helping to maintain production, is also in line with social responsibility.

Akbari continued: Our long-term goal is to make the factory smart so that we can use the results of the fourth industrial revolution in our products. In this regard, in the first phase, all sampling is done mechanically to increase productivity and line quality.

He emphasized: Since in the conditions of sanctions, the supply of parts and equipment is faced with problems, in the localization and reverse engineering section, in the first place, we get help from experienced companies that have taken steps in this path and at the same time, we design three-dimensional maps, compile technical booklets and order construction based on technical research that is done in the localization and reverse engineering unit. In specific sections such as concentrate and pellet, about 12 million euros of currency savings have been made, in other words, we have reversed and built them and a large part of about 340 pieces and 14 equipment has been localized.

Akbari finally said: The most important indigenized equipment in Iran, which has been done for the first time, is the construction of a liner handler, which the foreign equivalent price is 2.5 million Euros, but it has been made domestically with about 35 billion Tomans. Akbari finally stated that it is necessary to mention this point; considering that localized parts may have problems and defects, but at different stages and over time with gaining experience, the quality and lifespan of localized parts will increase.