Steelworks up close: labels in the rolling mill News | News | People | 13.11.2025

Steelworks up close: labels in the rolling mill.

The steel industry is characterised by complex processes, high temperatures and harsh environmental conditions. This makes it all the more important for us, as specialists in industrial marking solutions, to understand our customers' processes in detail.

Our managing director, Dr Christof Stotko, and our colleagues, Mr Stefan Heinzler and Ms Patricia Hemberger, recently had the opportunity to visit a steelworks and experience the entire process chain first-hand.

From scrap to finished product!

The tour began with the scrap being melted in an electric arc furnace. This is where the foundations for further processing are laid. The tour then continued to the continuous casting plant, where liquid steel is used to produce billets.

A particular highlight was visiting the rolling mill, where the billets are processed into wire rod and marked at temperatures of around 400°C. This is precisely where GRAPHIPLAST^® comes into play, as our heat-resistant, robust labels ensure reliable traceability even under extreme conditions.

Finally, we observed the logistics processes: the finished wire rod coils are shipped by rail to sister plants or customers.

Importance of labelling in the steel industry

In times of high cost pressures and global changes, reliable identification and traceability of materials are becoming increasingly important. Clear and robust marking is essential for transparent processes and error prevention.

As well as the technical inspection, the focus was on engaging in dialogue with the relevant people at the rolling mill. We discussed topics such as the current situation in the steel industry, rising energy and raw material prices, and the need for more efficient processes in depth.

As a partner to the industry, these insights are particularly valuable to us. They enable us to consistently align our products with real-world conditions and develop innovative industrial labelling solutions in collaboration with our customers.