7. Outlook

Many problems remain to be solved, in particular the improvement of product surface quality and the extension to a wider range of steel grades. But there is every reason to believe that these problems will gradually be resolved.

Thin-slab continuous casting processes not only make it possible to set up competitive flat-product mini-mills, they also threaten the profitability of high-capacity integrated plants. As a result, the latter are currently considering whether to follow suit in part.